SCWD 2026

Chairs
Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, USA; To be announced

• 
  Cachexia as multi-organ diseaseMarilia Seelaender, Brazil
• 
  Tracing Early Oncogenic Events in Renal Cancer: Implications for Cachexia and HIF SignalingJoanna Lima, Brazil
• 
  HIF-2α–driven paraneoplastic syndromes in aggressive kidney cancer: linking PTHrP, hypercalcemia, and cachexiaJames Brugarolas, USA
• 
  Presentation title to be announcedRobert Mak, USA
• Discussion

Chairs
Andrea Bonetto, USA; To be announced

• 
  Impaired motor unit connectivity in cancerJoshua Huot, USA
• New insights on neuromuscular junction instability with inactivityMarco Narici, Italy
• Human neuromuscular organoids mimic cancer-induced muscle wastingPietro Chiolerio, Italy
• 
  A microphysiological model of muscle denervation in pancreatic cancer cachexiaBumsoo Han, USA
• Discussion

Chairs
Mauricio Berriel Diaz, Germany; Erin Talbert, USA

• Cross-study meta-analysis of the cancer cachexia transcriptomeYoshiaki Tanaka, Canada
• Functional interrogation of the pancreatic cancer cachexia secretomeMin Deng, Norway
• Cachexia multi-ome analysis reveals early perturbations in adipose tissueHonglei Ji, Germany
• 
  The gut microbiome and cancer cachexiaLaure Bindels, Belgium
• Discussion

Chairs
Volker Adams, Germany; Scott Bowen, UK

• Tumor-driven mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer cachexiaPaola Costelli, Italy
• Mitochondrial dysfunction in age associated cachexiaRussell Hepple, USA
• Mitochondrial function as therapeutic target in cachexiaBeatrice Vahle, Germany
• Novel pharmacological approaches to target mitochondriaTienush Rassaf, Germany
• Discussion

Chairs
Wolfram Doehner, Germany; To be announced

• Muscular disease in the acute medical care setting – update 2026Joerg C. Schefold, Switzerland
• Frailty and lessons learnt from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemicSpeaker to be announced
• Progress in understanding neuromuscular disease in the ICUSpeaker to be announced
• Suggested clinical approaches to acute muscle wasting in the critically illStefan Schaller, Austria
• Discussion

Chairs
Maurizio Muscaritoli, Italy; Richard Skipworth, UK

• Diagnosing and managing cachexia in the oncology and palliative care settingSpeaker to be announced
• 
  Beyond calories: nutrients as active therapeutics in oncology carePaula Ravasco, Portugal
• Clinical trials and innovation in cancer cachexia careUwe Pelzer, Germany
• 
  COACH-ED: program outcomes and future directions – the road aheadJose Garcia, USA
• Discussion

Chairs
Samuel Breit, Australia; To be announced

• 
  JAK1/2 inhibition delays cachexia and improves survival through increased food intakeMarcus Goncalves, USA
• 
  Responder analysis in the PACTO trialTeresa Zimmers, USA
• 
  Unmasking complement: a causal pathway in cancer-induced muscle lossAndrew Judge, USA
• Plasma Hsp90 Level correlates with cachexia and shorter survival in cancer patientsYi-Ping Li, USA
• Discussion

Chairs
Annemie Schols, Netherlands; To be announced

• Cachexia in heart failure – still an issueFabio Dorigotti, Switzerland
• Cachexia in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus – update 2026Mitja Lainscak, Slovenia
• COPDNeil Greening, UK
• 
  Cachexia in MASH / MASLDSrinivasan Dasarathy, USA
• Discussion

Chairs
Reshma Merchant, Singapore; Gustavo Duque, Canada

• 
  The conceptual and operational definition of sarcopeniaBen Kirk, Australia
• Measuring muscle quantity and quality, the options: DEXA, CT, MRILars Johansson, Sweden
• 
  Secondary sarcopenia in chronic disease: when muscle loss is not just ageingStephan von Haehling, Germany
• From sarcopenia to frailty and cachexia: clinical phenotypes, overlap, and outcomesPaul Coen, USA
• Sarcopenic obesity in CKD: a difficult entityAngela Wang, Singapore
• Discussion

Chairs
Jose Garcia, USA; Sandra Kleiner, Germany

• Frailty and sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosisSpeaker to be announced
• Mechanisms of muscle dysfunction in MASLDNicolas Lanthier, Belgium
• Oral LPCN 1148 improves sarcopenia and hepatic encephalopathy in male patients with cirrhosisNicole Welch, USA
• Exercise and GLP-1 agonists for MASLD-associated sarcopenia and muscle dysfunctionSpeaker to be announced
• Discussion

Chairs
Stefan Anker, Germany; To be announced

• 
  Meaningful quality of life and patient-reported outcome measures – QLQ-C15-PAL, FACIT-Pal, QLQ-C30 Physical Functioning, PROMIS Physical Function, FAACT-A/CS, FAACT-5IASS, and beyondDavid Cella, USA
• Physical function outcomes – HGS, SPPB, 6MWTD etc.Speaker to be announced
• 
  Hard outcomes for morbidity & mortalityTim Friede, Germany
• Discussion

Chairs
To be announced

• Resistance vs. aerobic vs. combined training in cancer cachexiaSpeaker to be announced
• Pharmacological mimics of exercise: novel strategies to augment muscle mass and functionMorten Hostrup, Denmark
• Pharmacological possibilities to help patients to move moreBo Falck Hansen, Denmark
• 
  Exercise versus anabolic drugs for treating sarcopeniaPhil Atherton, UK
• Discussion

Chairs
To be announced; To be announced

• Impaired T cell functionality contributes to cancer cachexiaSu-Ping Ng, Germany
• Tumor-secreted ADAMTSL4 activates latent TGF-β1 to drive cancer cachexiaMauricio Berriel Diaz, Germany
• 
  The adipose tissue as an active driver of cancer and cachexia progression: depot-specific features and novel targetsAlessio Molfino, Italy
• 
  The gonad-bone-muscle axis in cancer and treatment-induced cachexiaJames Carson, USA
• Discussion

Chairs
To be announced; Vickie Baracos, Canada

• Mechanisms of behavioral changes in cachexiaTobias Janowitz, USA
• 
  Targeting the peripheral and systemic gut-brain axes to combat cachexiaXiling Shen, USA
• 
  Metabolism and behavior in cancer cachexiaEileen White, USA
• 
  Sympathetic nerve mediated factors in cachexiaAaron Grossberg, USA
• Discussion

Chairs
Kamal Awad, USA; Gustavo Duque, Canada

• 
  General bone–muscle crosstalk: mechanisms and implicationsLynda Bonewald, USA
• 
  Liver-bone-muscle-cancer interactions: clinical perspectives and therapeutic opportunitiesAndrea Bonetto, USA
• 
  Osteocyte mediated bone-muscle crosstalk in cancer cachexiaFabrizio Pin, USA
• Integrative musculoskeletal biomarkers: myokines, osteokines, and beyond in sarcopenia and osteoporosisMarco Brotto, USA
• Discussion