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Olanzapine for the Management of Cancer Associated Appetite Loss in Patients with Advanced or Metastatic Esophagogastric, Hepatopancreaticobiliary, Colorectal or Lung Cancer

Trial Status: active

This phase II trial tests how well olanzapine works in managing cancer cachexia in patients experiencing esophagogastric (EG), hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) colorectal or lung cancer that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) -associated appetite loss while receiving non-curative cancer therapy. Loss of appetite (“anorexia”) in the setting of cancer is a key feature of “cachexia,” a syndrome associated with loss of weight and muscle as well as weakness and fatigue. Olanzapine is a type of drug that targets key neurotransmitters (a type of molecule that is used by the central nervous system to transmit messages to the rest of the body) that may stimulate appetite, restore caloric intake, minimize weight loss, and improve quality of life.