The Cancer Anorexia/weight Loss Syndrome: Therapeutic Challenges
Overview
Authors
Affiliations
The cancer anorexia/weight loss syndrome is characterized by loss of weight, loss of appetite, overall decline in quality of life, and shortened survival in patients with advanced incurable cancer. It is highly prevalent. To date, treatment options that have been firmly established with good scientific evidence are limited to progestational agents and corticosteroids, both of which have been demonstrated to improve appetite but have otherwise failed to have a favorable impact on some of the other aspects of this syndrome. As the mechanisms behind this syndrome are further elucidated, more effective therapeutic strategies will likely emerge.
Cell-death induced immune response and coagulopathy promote cachexia in .
Singh A, Hu Y, Lopes R, Lane L, Woldemichael H, Xu C bioRxiv. 2025; .
PMID: 39829769 PMC: 11741341. DOI: 10.1101/2025.01.07.631515.
Mazzega-Fabbro C, Polesel J, Brusutti L, Malnis E, Sirelli C, Drigo A Cancers (Basel). 2023; 15(21).
PMID: 37958348 PMC: 10649710. DOI: 10.3390/cancers15215174.
Cancer cachexia: lessons from Drosophila.
Liu Y, Saavedra P, Perrimon N Dis Model Mech. 2022; 15(3).
PMID: 35319749 PMC: 8961677. DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049298.
Advani S, Advani P, VonVille H, Jafri S BMC Cancer. 2018; 18(1):1174.
PMID: 30482179 PMC: 6260745. DOI: 10.1186/s12885-018-5080-4.
Mehrzad V, Afshar R, Akbari M Adv Biomed Res. 2016; 5:60.
PMID: 27135029 PMC: 4832883. DOI: 10.4103/2277-9175.179182.