The administration of fish oil, providing a mean EPA dose of
1.8 g per day, was suggested to be effective in influencing weight
loss and inflammatory parameters in prior studies.8,15-17 Our
study showed that fish oil, even in this highly coached population,
could only be taken at a mean dose of 10 capsules per day.
It is unknown whether higher doses are more effective at
influencing appetite, but they are unlikely to be tolerated in
cancer patients. In addition, although a longer observation would
be desirable, it may be associated with further dropouts because
of complications or death. Also, it can be argued that effects not
observed for more than 2 weeks are unlikely to be clinically
useful in patients having advanced cancer and loss of weight and
appetite