Cachexia

From Molecular Insights to Clinical Strategies: Delve into the complexities of cachexia, encompassing cancer cachexia, molecular mechanisms, and evolving therapeutic approaches. Discover the forefront of research aimed at understanding and combating this debilitating condition.

AllAgeingCachexiaCancer CachexiaClinical TrialsExerciseFrailtyFrom the literatureGuidelinesMuscleNutritionOther SCWD EventsSarcopenia

Phenotype profiling of disease-related malnutrition with inflammation: Document elaborated by the ESPEN special interest group (SIG) ''cachexia-anorexia in chronic wasting diseases''.

In the ESPEN SIG meetings the similarities and differences between cachexia and disease-related malnutrition (DRM) were previously analyzed, as well as the role of inflammation in DRM. In the years 2023-2025, the SIG moving forward emphasized the relevance of the...

🗓️ 2026-02-24
📰 Publication: Clinical Nutrition
Read MorePhenotype profiling of disease-related malnutrition with inflammation: Document elaborated by the ESPEN special interest group (SIG) ''cachexia-anorexia in chronic wasting diseases''.

Mitochondrial Permeability Transition in Skeletal Muscle Phenocopies Muscle Alterations seen in Cancer Cachexia and other Wasting Conditions.

BACKGROUND

Skeletal muscle in wasting conditions often exhibits a common set of phenotypes that include atrophy, mitochondrial respiratory dysfunction, and fragmentation of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) cluster at the endplate. Mitochondria are frequently implicated in driving muscle pathology in these conditions,...

🗓️ 2026-02-23
Read MoreMitochondrial Permeability Transition in Skeletal Muscle Phenocopies Muscle Alterations seen in Cancer Cachexia and other Wasting Conditions.

High Fat Diet and Obesity Each Increase Tumor Cell Proliferation and Muscle Wasting in Experimental Cancer Cachexia.

High fat diet (HFD) and associated obesity are suggested to predispose to cancer development, complicate cancer treatment, and accelerate mortality. Paradoxically, obese patients with lung cancer are reported to live longer, suggesting that high body mass is protective. Given that...

🗓️ 2026-02-21
📰 Publication: American Journal Of Physiology-Cell Physiology
Read MoreHigh Fat Diet and Obesity Each Increase Tumor Cell Proliferation and Muscle Wasting in Experimental Cancer Cachexia.

Muscle-immune metabolic crosstalk: shared pathways in cachexia and exercise.

Skeletal muscle and the immune system continuously exchange metabolites and signals that are essential for homeostasis. Disruption of this communication, such as during infection, inflammation, or cancer, triggers cachexia, a severe wasting syndrome characterized by altered amino acid flux, mitochondrial...

🗓️ 2026-02-21
📰 Publication: Current Opinion In Biotechnology
Read MoreMuscle-immune metabolic crosstalk: shared pathways in cachexia and exercise.

Multi-modal integrated intervention combining exercise, anti-inflammatory, and dietary advice (MMIEAD) for adults with kidney cachexia: protocol for a mixed-methods feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial and process evaluation.

BACKGROUND

Kidney cachexia is a debilitating and under-recognised complication of advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), characterised by unintentional weight loss, muscle wasting, inflammation, and reduced functional capacity. Its profound impact on morbidity, quality of life, and healthcare utilisation underscores the need...

🗓️ 2026-02-20
Read MoreMulti-modal integrated intervention combining exercise, anti-inflammatory, and dietary advice (MMIEAD) for adults with kidney cachexia: protocol for a mixed-methods feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial and process evaluation.

Human neuromuscular organoids mimic cancer-induced muscle cachexia.

Cancer cachexia, a devastating metabolic wasting syndrome affecting up to 80% of solid cancer patients, remains incurable despite advances in tumor biology understanding. This study introduces neuromuscular organoids (NMOs) derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) as a platform to...

🗓️ 2026-02-19
Read MoreHuman neuromuscular organoids mimic cancer-induced muscle cachexia.

Cancer Cachexia Prevalence Is Underestimated in Medical Records of Patients in a Regional Tertiary Hospital.

BACKGROUND

Widespread lack of awareness and limited real-world prevalence evidence have impeded cachexia care and research. We hypothesized that healthcare professionals may identify the term cachexia, leading to International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding for this term, with or without records...

🗓️ 2026-02-18
📰 Publication: Journal Of Cachexia Sarcopenia And Muscle
Read MoreCancer Cachexia Prevalence Is Underestimated in Medical Records of Patients in a Regional Tertiary Hospital.

Nutrition Rehabilitation Programs and Cachexia Clinics for Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome in Patients with Cancer.

The Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome (ACS) is characterized by loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss. Important clinical outcomes are associated with ACS including increased risk of chemotherapy side-effects, decreased survival and quality of life. Because ACS is driven by complex metabolic...

🗓️ 2026-02-16
📰 Publication: Oncologist
Read MoreNutrition Rehabilitation Programs and Cachexia Clinics for Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome in Patients with Cancer.

iCARDIO Alliance Global Implementation Guidelines for the Management of Obesity 2025.

There are a number of guidelines on how to manage obesity, but inconsistencies in healthcare access, varying infrastructure, resource constraints and diverse local practices restrict their global applicability. This underscores the need for universal recommendations that address the unique challenges...

🗓️ 2026-02-13
📰 Publication: Journal Of Cachexia Sarcopenia And Muscle
Read MoreiCARDIO Alliance Global Implementation Guidelines for the Management of Obesity 2025.

Cancer cachexia in STK11/LKB1-mutated non-small cell lung cancer is dependent on tumor-secreted GDF15.

Cachexia is a wasting syndrome involving adipose, muscle, and body weight loss in cancer patients. Tumor loss-of-function mutations in STK11/LKB1, a regulator of AMP-activated protein kinase, induce cancer cachexia (CC) in preclinical models and are linked to weight loss in...

🗓️ 2026-01-31
📰 Publication: Nature Communications
Read MoreCancer cachexia in STK11/LKB1-mutated non-small cell lung cancer is dependent on tumor-secreted GDF15.

The gut microbiome and dietary interventions in cancer cachexia.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The gut microbiome (GM) is altered in cancer cachexia, and it is possible that such GM changes may promote or sustain features of cancer cachexia including changes in host metabolism and anorexia. As a result, there is growing...

🗓️ 2026-01-29
📰 Publication: Current Opinion In Clinical Nutrition And Metabolic Care
Read MoreThe gut microbiome and dietary interventions in cancer cachexia.

Quality of Life of Colorectal Cancer Patients Treated with Chemotherapy.

Background/Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is associated with anorexia-cachexia syndrome, which negatively affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to evaluate HRQoL and functional status in CRC patients undergoing chemotherapy who were eligible for oral nutritional supplementation (ONS). Methods:...

🗓️ 2026-01-28
Read MoreQuality of Life of Colorectal Cancer Patients Treated with Chemotherapy.

Tumour-host interactions in Drosophila: mechanisms in the tumour micro- and macroenvironment.

Traditionally, cancer has been viewed largely as a disease of the cell, with extensive research centred on how mutations in driver genes trigger cellular transformation. Beyond cell-intrinsic changes, cancer unfolds as a systemic disease driven by an intricate dialogue between...

🗓️ 2026-01-17
📰 Publication: Molecular Oncology
Read MoreTumour-host interactions in Drosophila: mechanisms in the tumour micro- and macroenvironment.

Multi-omics profiling of cachexia-targeted tissues reveals a spatio-temporally coordinated response to cancer.

Cachexia is a wasting disorder associated with high morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. Tumour-host interaction and maladaptive metabolic reprogramming are substantial, yet poorly understood, contributors to cachexia. Here we present a comprehensive overview of the spatio-temporal metabolic reprogramming...

🗓️ 2026-01-16
Read MoreMulti-omics profiling of cachexia-targeted tissues reveals a spatio-temporally coordinated response to cancer.

Tumor intrinsic properties dictate Fc receptor expression and cancer cachexia associated increase in checkpoint inhibitor clearance.

PURPOSE

Patients with cancer cachexia display a general resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, and baseline ICI catabolic clearance is a predictive indicator for overall survival, independent of dose and drug exposure. Fc-gamma (FcγRs) and neonatal Fc receptors (FcRn) play...

🗓️ 2026-01-02
📰 Publication: Frontiers In Immunology
Read MoreTumor intrinsic properties dictate Fc receptor expression and cancer cachexia associated increase in checkpoint inhibitor clearance.

CACHEXIA DEFINITION

Cachexia has been defined as a loss of lean tissue mass, involving a weight loss greater than 5% of body weight in 12 months or less in the presence of chronic illness or as a body mass index (BMI) lower than 20 kg/m2. In addition, usually three of the following five criteria are required: decreased muscle strength, fatigue, anorexia, low fat-free mass index, increase of inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein or interleukin (IL)-6 as well as anaemia or low serum albumin.

Cachexia can occur in most major diseases including infections, cancer, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and stroke.

REFERENCES
Evans WJ, Morley JE, Argiles J, Bales C, Baracos V, Guttridge D, et al. Cachexia: a new definition. Clin Nutr 2008;27:793–799

Fearon K, Strasser F, Anker SD, Bosaeus I, Bruera E, Fainsinger RL, Jatoi A, Loprinzi C, MacDonald N, Mantovani G, Davis M, Muscaritoli M, Ottery F, Radbruch L, Ravasco P, Walsh D, Wilcock A, Kaasa S, Baracos VE. Definition and classification of cancer cachexia: an international consensus. Lancet Oncol 2011;12:489–495.

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