title: Treatment of cachexia: an overview of recent developments.
abstract: Body wasting in the context of chronic illness is associated with reduced quality of life and impaired survival. Recent clinical trials have investigated different approaches to improve patients' skeletal muscle mass and strength, exercise capacity, and survival in the context of cachexia and body wasting, many of them in patients with cancer. The aim of this article was to summarize clinical trials published over the past 2 years. Therapeutic approaches discussed include appetite stimulants, such as megestrol acetate, L-carnitine, or melatonin, anti-inflammatory drugs, such as thalidomide, pentoxyphylline, or a monoclonal antibody against interleukin-1α as well as ghrelin and the ghrelin agonist anamorelin; nutritional support, and anabolics, such as enobosarm and testosterone.
authors.affiliation: Division of Innovative Clinical Trials, Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Centre Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Applied Cachexia Research, Department of Cardiology, Charité Medical School, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: stephan.von.haehling@web.de.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: von Haehling
authors.affiliation: Division of Innovative Clinical Trials, Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Centre Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Anker
mesh_terms: D045930:Anabolic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019167:Appetite Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002100:Cachexia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000819:agonists; D006801:Humans; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018529:Nutritional Support; D011788:Quality of Life; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D045930:Anabolic Agents; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D019167:Appetite Stimulants; D054439:Ghrelin
keywords: Cachexia; cancer; therapy; wasting