title: Novel therapeutic options for cachexia and sarcopenia.
abstract: Cachexia and sarcopenia are conditions phenotypically characterized by muscle loss and represent a factor of poor prognosis, increasing patients' morbidity and mortality. Cachectic and sarcopenic patients often suffer from low quality of life, presenting lower muscle strength and appetite loss, which makes research on novel treatment strategies to ameliorate clinical response including patient's symptoms, the objective of scientific interest.
  
  
  
  This article covers recent developments in the area of cachexia and sarcopenia treatment and therapeutic interventions, targeting central nervous system involvement, key inflammatory and muscle-specific metabolic pathways.
  
  
  
  A number of promising agents have being evaluated, such as enobosarm, a selected androgen receptor modulator, and anamorelin, a ghrelin agonist which have been recently studied in phase III trials. These and other agents (i.e., infliximab, tocilizumab, MABp1, bimagrumab) have shown significant impact on reversal of skeletal muscle loss, but limited effect on physical function. In the last few years advancement in the number and type of potential treatments for cachexia and sarcopenia have been obtained and we have now available more data on measurable effects of several drugs on patients' nutritional and metabolic parameters and outcomes.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Medicine , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molfino
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Medicine , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Ida
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Amabile
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Medicine , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi Fanelli
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Medicine , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muscaritoli
mesh_terms: D000813:Anilides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002100:Cachexia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000819:agonists* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D011788:Quality of Life; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C410798:AR protein, human; D000813:Anilides; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D054439:Ghrelin; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; C547106:ostarine
keywords: Biological therapies; cachexia; cancer; chronic diseases; metabolic and nutritional pathways; sarcopenia