[Cachexia, malignancy and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha)].
Cachexia is a common finding in various diseases such as chronic renal failure, HIV infection, malignancies, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure and rheumatoid arthritis. It is estimated that 30% of patients with malignancies will appear with cachexia, and up to 80% of patients with progressive metastatic disease will be affected. Cachexia is associated with decreased overall survival rates, and decreased beneficial effects of chemotherapy treatment. The underlying pathological processes in cachexia are not completely understood. It is believed that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) plays an essential rule in cachexia induction and propagation. This article reviews and discusses current anti-cachexia treatments, with special emphasis on anti-TNF-alpha treatment in malignancies and various other diseases.
Nussinovitch
U
U
Center of Autoimmune Diseases, Depatment of Medicine "B", Sheba Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Shoenfeld
Y
Y
D002100:Cachexia / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000502:physiology*
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha