title: Cachexia.
abstract: Cachexia is a multiorgan, multifactorial and often irreversible wasting syndrome associated with cancer and other serious, chronic illnesses including AIDS, chronic heart failure, chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Treatment of the patient with cachexia is currently targeted to correcting the two underlying features of the condition: anorexia and metabolic disturbances. Greater understanding of the mechanisms behind cachexia and muscle wasting have led to new therapeutic possibilities, however. Several classes of drugs are under active development for cachexia including drugs acting on hormone receptors or cytokine receptors, myostatin/activin pathway antagonists, beta-adrenoceptor agonists and cannabinoids. This review will cover the pathophysiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, drug candidates under active development and targets for therapeutic intervention of cachexia.
authors.affiliation: Thomson Reuters, Barcelona, Spain. ann.graul@thomsonreuters.com.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Graul
authors.affiliation: Thomson Reuters, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stringer
authors.affiliation: Thomson Reuters, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sorbera
mesh_terms: D000855:Anorexia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002100:Cachexia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006728:Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D055070:Resistance Training / Q000379:methods*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D045165:Testosterone Congeners / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002186:Cannabinoids; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D006728:Hormones; D045165:Testosterone Congeners
keywords: Cachexia; Cannabinoids; Melanocortin receptor antagonists; Myostatin/activin pathway; β-Adrenoceptor agonists