New developments in cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome

Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome is a multi-organ syndrome with a complex set of symptoms and is a poor prognostic factor for patient survival. During tumour progression, proinflammatory cytokines predominate due to intercellular contacts between tumour cells and surrounding host cells, resulting anorexia and metabolic reprogramming. The discovery of this pathomechanism is essential and recent advances in this area may help to develop new therapeutic approaches. According to our current knowledge, the optimal treatment of cancer cachexia is multimodal, involving a combination of nutritional therapy, dietary supplements, medication, regular exercise, psychological support and supportive care. The present work provides an overview of new therapeutic strategies developed for the treatment of this syndrome.