Given the pivotal role of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4) in the control of appetite (Adan, Tiesjema, Hillebrand, la Fleur, Kas MJ, et al., 2006), and cachexia (Foster & Chen 2007), and considering that mean AT in the catchment area where patients were recruited exceeded 26oC during warmer months (July and August), it is reasonable to believe that the melanocortin system may be involved in the modulating effect of AT on bodyweight observed in our sample of patients with advanced oncological disease and ACS. This evidence concerns the gene MC4R and Cachexia.