Cachexia News and Research

RSS

Cachexia is a condition which denotes the excessive loss of weight. It occurs because of the depletion of adipose tissue and muscle mass in people who are not trying to lose weight.

Preoperative sarcopenia and exercise intolerance predict outcomes following lung cancer surgery

Lung cancer is a major global cause of mortality, reportedly accounting for 1.7 million deaths each year. The most common form of lung cancer is non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and early-stage NSCLCs can often be surgically resected.

26 Apr 2021

Study sheds new light on the ability of pancreatic cancer cells to metastasize

With an overall survival rate of 9% for those diagnosed, pancreatic cancer remains exceedingly difficult to treat. However, the patient's primary tumor typically isn't what leads to death - it is the cancer's ability to evade detection and metastasize to other organs.

19 Apr 2021

Elevated Activin A and FLRG levels correlate with worst outcomes in severe COVID-19

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection causes a "cytokine storm" in hospitalized and ICU patients. Studies have shown that the blockade of cytokine signaling and steroid treatment helps achieve positive outcomes in patients.

15 Feb 2021

Researchers use cachexia model to assess cancer-derived myocardial impairments

Oncotarget recently published "Evaluation of cancer-derived myocardial impairments using a mouse model" which reported that Myocardial damage in cancer patients is emphasized as a cause of death; however, there are not many murine cachexia models to evaluate cancer-derived heart disorder.

11 Feb 2021

Study gives new clues to how muscle wasting occurs on a cellular level

Muscle wasting, or the loss of muscle tissue, is a common problem for people with cancer, but the precise mechanisms have long eluded doctors and scientists. Now, a new study led by Penn State researchers gives new clues to how muscle wasting happens on a cellular level.

3 Feb 2021

Can metabolic biomarkers help clinicians stratify adverse outcome risk in COVID-19 patients?

A recent study describes the alterations in lipids and other parameters that define the state of dysfunctional metabolism in acute COVID-19 illness.

20 Jan 2021

Study identifies the effects of malnutrition on patient survival after cardiac surgery

Nutrients are the structural components of food that the body needs to function properly. They are divided into macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins, provitamins, various minerals, and so on). Their shortage is called nutritional deficiency.

28 Dec 2020

Short term “prehabilitation” strength exercises, undertaken pre-surgery, do not prevent muscle loss

Older adults about to undergo elective surgery should undertake a sustained programme of targeted exercise beforehand to counteract the muscle-wasting effects of bedrest, new research suggests.

21 Dec 2020

Inflammatory factors that aggravate COVID-19 may come from adipose tissue

There is growing evidence that adipose tissue plays a key role in the aggravation of COVID-19. One of the theories under investigation is that fat cells (adipocytes) act as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 and increase viral load in obese or overweight individuals.

20 Nov 2020

Researchers identify new strategy to combat loss of skeletal muscle mass

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have shown for the first time that stimulating expression of a protein naturally produced by the human body can be a strategy to combat loss of skeletal muscle mass, which happens normally with aging but can intensify in cases of neurodegenerative or inflammatory disease, or in patients who spend long periods in intensive care units (ICUs).

9 Nov 2020

New study may help combat loss of muscle mass associated with aging

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have discovered that the muscle regeneration promoted by aerobic exercise is mediated by changes in oxygen consumption by satellite cells, also known as skeletal muscle stem cells.

29 Oct 2020

Researchers develop 'Trojan horse' approach to destroy cancer cells

Cancer cells are killed in lab experiments and tumour growth reduced in mice, using a new approach that turns a nanoparticle into a 'Trojan horse' that causes cancer cells to self-destruct, a research team at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found.

23 Sep 2020

Scientists identify key cell signaling pathway that drives muscle loss

Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have identified a key cell signaling pathway that drives the devastating muscle loss, or cachexia, suffered by many cancer patients.

22 May 2020

Scientists discover new metabolism regulation system for the brown adipose tissue

Scientific team found a new metabolism regulation system for the brown adipose tissue using the kallikrein-kinin hormonal system, so far related to the physiology of the renal and cardiovascular system and inflammation and pain processes.

8 May 2020

Researchers establish a gene expression profile associated with cachexia in cancer patients

It is estimated that as many as 80% of advanced-stage cancer patients may develop cachexia, a potentially fatal metabolic syndrome characterized by extreme weight loss and muscle wasting, but scientists do not yet fully understand why it is more frequently associated with certain kinds of tumor than others, or why not all cancer patients develop it.

3 Mar 2020

Rapid and sensitive tracking of fat molecules in the body

Fats have earned a bad name as the source of all that is wrong with our hearts and blood vessels, not to mention our appearance. The dysfunctional handling of lipids or fats in the body is deeply involved in a multitude of metabolic upsets, such as obesity and cancer.

14 Oct 2019

New drug Aliskiren shows promise for heart failure patients

A study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, as part of a special issue “Heart Failure: From Molecular Basis to Therapy”, in August 2019, shows that aliskiren, a drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), can improve survival for over 5 years, on average, and enhance life quality in patients who have been correctly diagnosed with heart failure.

9 Oct 2019

Aliskiren drug can delay progression of congestive heart failure, lengthen survival rates

Researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix have shown for the first time in preclinical studies that Aliskiren, a drug that inhibits the enzyme that regulates blood pressure, can delay the progression of congestive heart failure and lengthen survival rates.

8 Oct 2019

Researchers discover how cancer cells can trigger chronic muscle wasting condition

A solid tumor can cause muscle cells in the body to self-destruct. Many cancer patients die from the consequences. Now researchers are discovering more about how cancer cells in a tumor can take control of muscle cell wasting and trigger a chronic, serious condition.

19 Sep 2019

New improved model for cancer wasting syndrome cachexia

A new model of cancer-related cachexia promises to help scientists understand why patients with cancer show severe wasting, which in turn may drive the development of better therapies.

7 Aug 2019