Updates in Cancer Cachexia: Clinical Management and Pharmacologic Interventions. (PubMed, Cancers (Basel))
Currently, addressing contributing conditions (hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, and adrenal insufficiency), managing nutrition impact symptoms leading to decreased oral intake (nausea, constipation, dysgeusia, stomatitis, mucositis, pain, fatigue, depressed mood, or anxiety), and the addition of pharmacologic agents when appropriate (progesterone analog, corticosteroids, and olanzapine) is recommended. In Japan, the clinical practice has changed based on the availability of Anamorelin, a ghrelin receptor agonist that improved lean body mass, weight, and appetite-related quality of life (QoL) compared to a placebo, in phase III trials...In the future, a single therapeutic agent or perhaps multiple medications targeting the various mechanisms of CC may prove to be an effective strategy. Ideally, these medications should be incorporated into a multimodal interdisciplinary approach that includes exercise and nutrition.