Why cancer cachexia?

Cachexia is a common cancer complication causing significant muscle and fat loss. It affects the success of cancer treatment, reduces survival of cancer patients, and impacts on patient’s mental health and overall quality of life.

The microorganisms living in the gut (the gut microbiome) play a crucial role in cancer cachexia.

Cancer cachexia is a complex metabolic syndrome characterized by significant loss of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, alongside inflammation, loss of appetite, and functional alterations in various organs. It affects over 80% of cancer patients across multiple cancer types, contributing to more than 20% of all cancer-related mortality and often leading to poor prognosis.

Unfortunately, early diagnosis is often lacking, and the scarcity of adequate biomarkers and therapeutics results in poor clinical management of cancer cachexia. The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in regulating metabolism, local and systemic inflammation, and the secretion of neuropeptides that control appetite. Given its clear connection to cancer cachexia, the gut microbiome presents a promising avenue for discovering actionable clinical tools, including:

• microbiome-based biomarkers for accurate diagnosis and prognosis through a non-invasive method;
• microbiota-based therapies with the potential to regulate body weight and metabolic abnormalities in cachexia.