Microbiota and Pancreatic Cancer Cachexia

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients with pancreatic cancer (n=12)

• ≥18 years and

• Newly diagnosed of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (local or metastatic) and

• Tube feeding or parenteral nutrition ≤ 14 days

Cachectic pancreatic cancer patients (n=6)

• Cachexia according to the Fearon criteria 1: involuntary weight loss >5% over thelast 6 months, or any level of weight loss >2% and a BMI <20 kg/m2 or sarcopenia.Sarcopenia will be diagnosed by BIA (fat-free mass index is <17 kg/m2 in men and <15kg/m2 in women) 81, and not by CT, as it is faster and can be performed at thebedside of the patient. Non-cachectic pancreatic cancer patients (n=6)

• Normal nutritional state: weight stability (± 2% of habitual weight) over the last 6months, no anorexia before the diagnosis (appetite rating on a visual analogue scaleof 100mm), no known impaired glucose tolerance.

Healthy matched subjects (n=12)

• ≥18 years and

• BMI between 18.5 and 30 kg/m2 and

• Absence of chronic or acute disease and

• Matching for gender and age (± 5 years) with an included pancreatic cancer patient

Exclusion Criteria:

• < 18 years or

• Inability to give consent or

• Insufficient knowledge of project language (French, German) or

• Pancreatic adenocarcinoma already treated by chemo- or radiotherapy, or majorsurgery as duodenopancreatectomy or biliary diversion

• Known rheumatologic or immunologic diseases

• Therapeutic antibiotics or immunosuppressive drugs (for instance glucocorticoids,cytostatics, antibodies) in the 30 days preceding the inclusion