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Cancer Cachexia and Fat Metabolism

  • Chapter
Cachexia and Wasting: A Modern Approach

Abstract

Cancer cachexia is one of the worst effects of malignancy, accounting for nearly a third of cancer deaths. It is a pathological state characterised by weight loss together with anorexia, weakness, anaemia, and asthaenia. The complications associated with the appearance of the cachectic syndrome affect both the physiological and biochemical balance of the patient and influence the efficiency of anticancer treatment, resulting in a considerably decreased survival time. At the metabolic level, cachexia is associated with loss of body lipid stores. Alterations in lipid metabolism are partially mediated by changes in circulating hormone concentrations (insulin, glucagon, and glucocorticoids, in particular) or in their effectiveness. However, a large number of observations point towards cytokines, polypeptides released mainly by immune cells, as the molecules responsible for the above-mentioned metabolic derangements. The role of humoral factors in fat metabolism in the cancer patient has been discussed; among cytokines, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) seems to have a key role in the lipid metabolic changes associated with cancer cachexia.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Research Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Josep M. Argilés, Vanessa Almendro, Sílvia Busquets & Francisco J. López-Soriano

Authors
  1. Josep M. Argilés
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  2. Vanessa Almendro
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  3. Sílvia Busquets
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  4. Francisco J. López-Soriano
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Oncology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

    Giovanni Mantovani

  2. Department of Clinical Cardiology, Imperial College, NHLI, London, UK

    Stefan D. Anker

  3. Department of Cardiology Charité, Applied Cachexia Research, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Berlin, Germany

    Stefan D. Anker

  4. Department of Behavioral Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan

    Akio Inui

  5. GRECC, VA Medical Center and Division of Geriatric Medicine, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA

    John E. Morley

  6. Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Rome, Italy

    Filippo Rossi Fanelli

  7. Department of Infectious Diseases, IRCCS S.Matteo Polyclinic, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Daniele Scevola

  8. Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplantation Program, Center for Lymphoma and Myeloma, New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Michael W. Schuster

  9. Department of Medicine-Geriatrics, University of New York at Stony Brook VAMC, Northport, NY, USA

    Shing-Shing Yeh

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© 2006 Springer-Verlag Italia

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Argilés, J.M., Almendro, V., Busquets, S., López-Soriano, F.J. (2006). Cancer Cachexia and Fat Metabolism. In: Mantovani, G., et al. Cachexia and Wasting: A Modern Approach. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0552-5_42

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0552-5_42

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Milano

  • Print ISBN: 978-88-470-0471-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-88-470-0552-5

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