A Pilot Study of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) in Patients With Cancer Cachexia

Inclusion Criteria

• Men and Women 25-80 years of age (inclusive)
• Confirmed diagnosis of Cancer (other than pancreatic cancer) Unintentional weight loss of >5% of body weight within 3 months of admission to the study
• Use of effective means of contraception (men and women) in patients of child-bearing potential
• Normal baseline liver function tests (LFTs) as determined by alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC)) version 3 grade 1 elevation in ALT (>Upper Limit of Normal[UNL]-2.5 x UNL) withhold admitting participant to the study until recovery to normal; LFTs will be considered valid for consideration of eligibility if drawn within the previous 2 weeks, otherwise new labs will be drawn.
• Able and willing to give written informed consent : Each participant must be aware of the nature of his current medical condition and must be willing to give consent after being informed of the experimental nature of therapy, alternatives, potential benefits, side-effects, risks and discomforts.
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0- 2 (Karnofsky score >60%)
• Concurrent use of coumadin or warfarin is okay. The follow-up monitoring for prothrombin (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT) and International Normalized Ratio (INR) for patients on warfarin and/or coumadin will follow the standard of care as dictated by the prescribing physician. If the prescribing physician is not a Moffitt physician, then the prescribing physician will be notified by the research staff of the subject participating in the study, and monitors for PT, PTT and INR will be obtained from patient during the 6 week study for review.

Exclusion Criteria

• Patients with current diagnosis or history of pancreatic cancer
• Current use of anticoagulants other than coumadin, warfarin, or aspirin
• Use of other nutritional supplements other than multivitamins and minerals
• Allergy to fish or seafood
• Using Marinol or Megace
• Known history of hepatic or renal disease
• Other acute or chronic medical or psychiatric condition or laboratory abnormality that may increase risk associated with study participation or study drug administration, or may interfere with interpretation of study results, and in the judgment of the investigator would make the patient inappropriate for entry into this study.
• Evidence of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy
• Other acute or chronic medical or psychiatric condition or laboratory abnormality that may increase risk associated with study participation or study drug administration, or may interfere with interpretation of study results, and in the judgment of the investigator would make the patient inappropriate for entry into this study
• Pregnant (positive pregnancy test) or lactating