Cachexia is considered the immediate cause of death of many people with cancer, estimated between 22 and 40%. History
The word "cachexia" is derived from the Greek words "Kakos" (bad) and "hexis" (condition). English ophthalmologist John Zachariah Laurence was the first to use the phrase "cancerous cachexia", doing so in 1858. He applied the phrase to the chronic wasting associated with malignancy. It was not until 2011 that the term "cancer-associated cachexia" was given a formal definition, with a publication by Kenneth Fearon. Fearon defined it as "a multifactorial syndrome characterized by ongoing loss of skeletal muscle (with or without loss of fat mass) that cannot be fully reversed by conventional nutritional support and leads to progressive functional impairment". Research
Several medications are under investigation or have been previously trialed for use in cachexia but are currently not in widespread clinical use:

Thalidomide
Cytokine antagonists
Cannabinoids
Omega-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Prokinetics
Ghrelin and ghrelin receptor agonist
Anabolic catabolic transforming agents such as MT-102
Selective androgen receptor modulators
Cyproheptadine
HydrazineMedical marijuana has been allowed for the treatment of cachexia in some US states, such as Illinois, Maryland, Delaware, Nevada, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Vermont, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Maine, and New York  Hawaii and Connecticut. Multimodal therapy
Despite the extensive investigation into single therapeutic targets for cachexia, the most effective treatments use multi-targeted therapies. In Europe, a combination of non-drug approaches including physical training, nutritional counseling, and psychotherapeutic intervention are used in belief this approach may be more effective than monotherapy.
Administration of anti-inflammatory drugs showed efficacy and safety in the treatment of people with advanced cancer  cachexia. See also
Sarcopenia
Muscle atrophy
Marasmus
Cancer
Progressive disease
Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle

References


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