Vickie Baracos, PhD, CM

Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry - Oncology Dept

Contact

Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry - Oncology Dept
Email
vbaracos@ualberta.ca
Phone
(780) 432-8232
Address
1232 Cross Cancer Institute
11560 University Avenue
Edmonton AB
T6G 1Z2

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

cancer body composition nutrition cachexia


About

The long-term focus of my career has been the pathophysiology of skeletal muscle atrophy in an effort that encompasses fundamental and translational research, a clinical research agenda and an international network of strategic collaboration. Cancer cachexia, a debilitating condition characterized by profound atrophy of skeletal muscle is my focus since 2003. Some key publications include Baracos VE et al. Cancer-associated cachexia. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2018; 4:17105; Martin L et al. Diagnostic criteria for the classification of cancer-associated weight loss. J Clin Oncol. 2015;33(1):90-9. Fearon K et al. Definition and classification of cancer cachexia: an international consensus. Lancet Oncol. 2011;12(5):489-95. Bhatt et al. 2025 Molecular subtypes of human skeletal muscle in cancer cachexia. Nature. 2025; PMID: 40931079.

I developed the use of clinical computed tomography to detect and precisely measure the muscle loss which is an integral part of cachexia.  Muscle loss is strongly associated with severe chemotherapy toxicity, complications of surgery and mortality in patients with different cancers.

Featured Publications

Bhatt BJ, Ghosh S, Mazurak V, Brun AQ, Bathe O, Baracos VE, Damaraju S.

Nature. 2025 November; 646 (8086 ):973-982 10.1038/s41586-025-09502-0


Jogiat UM, Bédard A, Baracos V, Turner SR, Eurich D, Filafilo H, Bédard EL

Clin Nutr.. 2025 June; 49 10.1016/j.clnu.2025.03.017


Motamedrad M, Ebadi M, Sanchez-Fernandez N, Parente A, Dunichand-Hoedl AR, Rider E, Kneteman NM, Shapiro AMJ, Bigam D, Dajani K, Anderson B, Baracos VE, Mazurak V, Montano-Loza AJ.

JHEP Rep. . 2025 May; 7 (9):101455 10.1016/j.jhepr.2025.101455


Baracos, VE

New England Journal of Medicine. 2024 December; 391 (24):2373-2376 10.1056/NEJMe2411334


Martin L., Tom M., Basualdo-Hammond C., Baracos V., Gramlich L.

JOURNAL OF PARENTERAL AND ENTERAL NUTRITION. 2022 August; 46 (6):1317-1325 10.1002/jpen.2348


Arribas L., Sabaté-Llobera A., Domingo M.C., Taberna M., Sospedra M., Martin L., González-Tampán A.R., Pallarés N., Mesía R., Baracos V.E.

CLINICAL NUTRITION. 2022 May; 41 (5):1059-1065 10.1016/j.clnu.2022.03.016


Boshier P.R., Klevebro F., Schmidt A., Han S., Jenq W., Puccetti F., Seesing M.F.J., Baracos V.E., Low D.E.

ANNALS OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY. 2022 May; 29 (9):5689-5697 10.1245/s10434-022-11754-3


Amano K., Hopkinson J., Baracos V.

CURRENT OPINION IN CLINICAL NUTRITION AND METABOLIC CARE. 2022 May; 25 (3):167-172 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000815


Ebadi M., Tsien C., Bhanji R.A., Dunichand-Hoedl A.R., Rider E., Motamedrad M., Mazurak V.C., Baracos V., Montano-Loza A.J.

Cells. 2022 April; 11 (8):1345 10.3390/cells11081345


Ebadi M., Dunichand-Hoedl A.R., Rider E., Kneteman N.M., Shapiro J., Bigam D., Dajani K., Mazurak V.C., Baracos V.E., Montano-Loza A.J.

JHEP Reports. 2022 April; 4 (7):100495 10.1016/j.jhepr.2022.100495


Ebadi M., Tsien C., Bhanji R.A., Dunichand-Hoedl A.R., Rider E., Motamedrad M., Mazurak V.C., Baracos V., Montano-Loza A.J.

Cells. 2022 April; 11 (7):1216 10.3390/cells11071216


Badri P., Baracos V., Ganatra S., Lai H., Samim F., Amin M.

PLoS One. 2022 April; 17 (4 April):e0266558 10.1371/journal.pone.0266558


Martin L., Tom M., Basualdo-Hammond C., Baracos V., Gramlich L.

JOURNAL OF PARENTERAL AND ENTERAL NUTRITION. 2022 March; 46 (6):1317-1325 10.1002/jpen.2348


Badri P., Lai H., Ganatra S., Baracos V., Amin M.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022 January; 19 (3):1297 10.3390/ijerph19031297


Bhullar A.S., Rivas-Serna I.M., Anoveros-Barrera A., Dunichand-Hoedl A., Bigam D., Khadaroo R.G., McMullen T., Bathe O., Putman C.T., Baracos V., Clandinin M.T., Mazurak V.C.

Scientific Reports. 2021 November; 11 (1):23006 10.1038/s41598-021-02269-0


Youn S., Jogiat U., Baracos V.E., McCall M., Eurich D.T., Sawyer M.B.

Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. 2021 October; 45 10.1016/j.clnesp.2021.06.029


Martin L., Muscaritoli M., Bourdel-Marchasson I., Kubrak C., Laird B., Gagnon B., Chasen M., Gioulbasanis I., Wallengren O., Voss A.C., Goldwasser F., Jagoe R.T., Deans C., Bozzetti F., Strasser F., Thoresen L., Kazemi S., Baracos V., Senesse P.

Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle. 2021 October; 12 (5):1189-1202 10.1002/jcsm.12756


Arends J., Roeland E.J., Baracos V.E.

ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY. 2021 August; 32 (8):954-956 10.1016/j.annonc.2021.06.020


Breuillard C., Moinard C., Goron A., Neveux N., De Reviers A., Mazurak V.C., Cynober L., Baracos V.E.

CLINICAL NUTRITION. 2021 July; 40 (7):4560-4568 10.1016/j.clnu.2021.05.035


van Dijk D.P.J., Zhao J., Kemter K., Baracos V.E., Dejong C.H.C., Rensen S.S., Olde Damink S.W.M.

Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle. 2021 June; 12 (4):983-992 10.1002/jcsm.12723


Muscaritoli M., Arends J., Bachmann P., Baracos V., Barthelemy N., Bertz H., Bozzetti F., Hütterer E., Isenring E., Kaasa S., Krznaric Z., Laird B., Larsson M., Laviano A., Mühlebach S., Oldervoll L., Ravasco P., Solheim T.S., Strasser F., de van der Schueren M., Preiser J.C., Bischoff S.C.

CLINICAL NUTRITION. 2021 May; 40 (5):2898-2913 10.1016/j.clnu.2021.02.005


Roeland E.J., Phull H., Hagmann C., Sera C., Dullea A.D., El-Jawahri A., Nelson S., Gallivan A., Ma J.D., Nipp R.D., Baracos V.E.

SUPPORTIVE CARE IN CANCER. 2021 May; 29 (5):2771-2775 10.1007/s00520-020-05730-4


Salinas-Miranda E., Deniffel D., Dong X., Healy G.M., Khalvati F., O’Kane G.M., Knox J., Bathe O.F., Baracos V.E., Gallinger S., Haider M.A.

EUROPEAN RADIOLOGY. 2021 May; 10.1007/s00330-021-07899-6


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