The biological mechanisms of cancer-related skeletal muscle wasting: the role of progressive resistance exercise.

Cancer results in perturbations in skeletal muscle protein metabolism leading to muscle wasting. Although severe wasting is seen primarily in persons with advanced malignancies, a number of cancer patients show some degree of wasting at presentation. Although cancer-related skeletal muscle wasting is attributable, in part, to decreased muscle protein synthesis, its primary cause appears to be increased muscle protein degradation.