Cancer cachexia: understanding the molecular basis

JM Argilés, S Busquets, B Stemmler… - Nature Reviews …, 2014 - nature.com
Nature Reviews Cancer, 2014nature.com
Cancer cachexia is a devastating, multifactorial and often irreversible syndrome that affects
around 50–80% of cancer patients, depending on the tumour type, and that leads to
substantial weight loss, primarily from loss of skeletal muscle and body fat. Since cachexia
may account for up to 20% of cancer deaths, understanding the underlying molecular
mechanisms is essential. The occurrence of cachexia in cancer patients is dependent on the
patient response to tumour progression, including the activation of the inflammatory …
Abstract
Cancer cachexia is a devastating, multifactorial and often irreversible syndrome that affects around 50–80% of cancer patients, depending on the tumour type, and that leads to substantial weight loss, primarily from loss of skeletal muscle and body fat. Since cachexia may account for up to 20% of cancer deaths, understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms is essential. The occurrence of cachexia in cancer patients is dependent on the patient response to tumour progression, including the activation of the inflammatory response and energetic inefficiency involving the mitochondria. Interestingly, crosstalk between different cell types ultimately seems to result in muscle wasting. Some of the recent progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of cachexia may lead to new therapeutic approaches.
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