Probing cancer cachexia-anorexia: recent results with knockout, transgene and polymorphisms.
OBJECTIVE
Cancer anorexia-cachexia refers to a debilitating state of cancer patients, the pathogenesis of which is still fully unknown. The article reviews recent research into the role of inflammatory mediators and cytokine gene polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of cancer cachexia.


RESULTS
Using transgenic mice, recent studies demonstrate that inflammatory mediators play an important role in the cancer cachexia development. Preliminary association studies in unrelated individuals exhibit that cytokine gene polymorphisms are related to cancer cachexia susceptibility.


CONCLUSIONS
Although its pathogenesis is not fully known, inflammatory mediators have been involved in cancer cachexia. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in genes coding inflammatory cytokines are likely to have played some role in cancer susceptibility. It is of great essentiality to further probe cancer cachexia-anorexia.
Dianliang
Zhang
Z
Department of General Surgery, Associated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College, Shandong Province, P.R. China. phdzdl@yahoo.com