Madeddu Clelia, Maccio Antonio, Mantovani Giovanni
Department of Medical Oncology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Crit Rev Oncog. 2012;17(3):305-14. doi: 10.1615/critrevoncog.v17.i3.80.
Cancer cachexia is defined as a multifactorial syndrome characterized by an ongoing loss of skeletal muscle mass (with or without loss of fat mass) that cannot be fully reversed by conventional nutritional support and leads to progressive functional impairment. The prominent clinical feature of cachexia is weight loss in adults. Anorexia, inflammation, insulin resistance, and increased muscle protein breakdown frequently are associated with cachexia. One single therapy may not be completely successful in the treatment of cachexia because of the complexity of the pathogenesis and symptoms of the cachexia syndrome. Among effective treatments, progestogens currently are considered the best available treatment option and are the only approved drugs in Europe for the treatment of cancer- and AIDS-related cachexia. However, they have limited efficacy in treating cancer cachexia. However, thalidomide, selective COX-2 inhibitors, ghrelin mimetics, and selective androgen receptor modulators showed promising results but should be defined further and confirmed in clinical trials. Therefore, to date, despite several years of coordinated efforts in basic and clinical research, the practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of cancer-related anorexia cachexia syndrome (CACS) are lacking. The management of CACS is a complex challenge that should address the different causes underlying this clinical event. Recent studies showed that integrated, multitargeted approaches are more effective than single-agent approaches for the treatment of CACS. Further clinical trials to improve and refine current strategies to counteract cancer cachexia using multimodal interventions, including nutritional supplementation, anabolic agents, and antiinflammatory drugs along with an appropriate physical exercise program, are warranted.
癌症恶病质被定义为一种多因素综合征,其特征是骨骼肌质量持续丧失(伴有或不伴有脂肪质量丧失),这种丧失不能通过传统营养支持完全逆转,并导致进行性功能损害。恶病质的突出临床特征是成人体重减轻。厌食、炎症、胰岛素抵抗和肌肉蛋白分解增加常与恶病质相关。由于恶病质综合征发病机制和症状的复杂性,单一疗法可能无法完全成功治疗恶病质。在有效的治疗方法中,孕激素目前被认为是最佳可用治疗选择,并且是欧洲唯一批准用于治疗癌症和艾滋病相关恶病质的药物。然而,它们在治疗癌症恶病质方面疗效有限。然而,沙利度胺、选择性环氧化酶-2抑制剂、胃饥饿素类似物和选择性雄激素受体调节剂显示出有前景的结果,但应在临床试验中进一步明确和证实。因此,迄今为止,尽管基础和临床研究经过数年的协同努力,但仍缺乏癌症相关性厌食恶病质综合征(CACS)的预防和治疗实践指南。CACS的管理是一项复杂的挑战,应解决该临床事件背后的不同原因。最近的研究表明,综合、多靶点方法比单药方法治疗CACS更有效。有必要进行进一步的临床试验,以改进和完善当前使用多模式干预措施对抗癌症恶病质的策略,这些干预措施包括营养补充、合成代谢药物、抗炎药物以及适当的体育锻炼计划。