Cancer cachexia: towards integrated therapeutic interventions.

Biological treatments represent a novel approach to counteract cancer cachexia. Monoclonal antibodies targeting cytokines and molecules responsible for muscle wasting, with an anti-inflammatory effect, however, still have several limitations and need further clinical investigation. New research in this field will contribute to the better understanding of the multifactorial pathogenesis of cancer cachexia, while favoring the consolidation of multimodal preventive and therapeutic strategies encompassing nutritional and pharmacological treatments.

Ghrelin: from discovery to cancer cachexia therapy.

Purpose Of Review: Despite the high prevalence of cancer cachexia, a condition that negatively impacts patients' prognosis and quality of life, effective therapies are still lacking. Ghrelin is a peptide hormone involved in anabolic and homeostatic functions, whose mechanisms of action are still only partially clarified, but with promising positive effects in cancer cachexia. Recently, the therapeutic administration of ghrelin in cancer has been shown to counteract loss of body mass and function, including muscle, and we specifically focus on this novel evidence.