Cancer cachexia: rationale for the MENAC (Multimodal-Exercise, Nutrition and Anti-inflammatory medication for Cachexia) trial (original) (raw)

Exercise medicine for cancer cachexia: targeted exercise to counteract mechanisms and treatment side effects

Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, 2022

Purpose Cancer-induced muscle wasting (i.e., cancer cachexia, CC) is a common and devastating syndrome that results in the death of more than 1 in 5 patients. Although primarily a result of elevated inflammation, there are multiple mechanisms that complement and amplify one another. Research on the use of exercise to manage CC is still limited, while exercise for CC management has been recently discouraged. Moreover, there is a lack of understanding that exercise is not a single medicine, but mode, type, dosage, and timing (exercise prescription) have distinct health outcomes. The purpose of this review was to examine the effects of these modes and subtypes to identify the most optimal form and dosage of exercise therapy specific to each underlying mechanism of CC. Methods The relevant literatures from MEDLINE and Scopus databases were examined. Results Exercise can counteract the most prominent mechanisms and signs of CC including muscle wasting, increased protein turnover, systemic inflammation, reduced appetite and anorexia, increased energy expenditure and fat wasting, insulin resistance, metabolic dysregulation, gut dysbiosis, hypogonadism, impaired oxidative capacity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cancer treatments side-effects. There are different modes of exercise, and each mode has different sub-types that induce vastly diverse changes when performed over multiple sessions. Choosing suboptimal exercise modes, types, or dosages can be counterproductive and could further contribute to the mechanisms of CC without impacting muscle growth. Conclusion Available evidence shows that patients with CC can safely undertake higher-intensity resistance exercise programs, and benefit from increases in body mass and muscle mass.

Multitargeted Treatment of Cancer Cachexia

Critical Reviews™ in Oncogenesis, 2012

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. KEY WORDS: cancer cachexia, multitargeted approach, lean body mass, physical activity, quality of life ABBREVIATIONS CACS: cancer-related anorexia cachexia syndrome; REE: resting energy expenditure; TNF: tumor necrosis factor; IL: interleukin; ROS: reactive oxygen species; CRP: C-reactive protein; MPA: medroxyprogesterone acetate; LBM: lean body mass; SIMS: systemic immune metabolic syndrome

Comparison of three different treatment modalities in the management of cancer cachexia

Tumori Journal, 2013

Aims and background. The optimal treatment of cancer cachexia remains unknown. In this study, we compared the efficacy of three different treatment modalities in the management of cancer cachexia. Methods. Sixty-two assessable cachectic cancer patients were randomized to one of the following three arms: 1) megesterol acetate (MA) plus meloxicam (n = 23); 2) MA plus meloxicam plus oral eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-enriched nutritional supplement (n = 21); or 3) meloxicam plus oral EPA-enriched nutritional supplement (n = 18). Treatment duration was 3 months. Results. The treatment arms were well balanced at baseline. The primary efficacy (body weight and lean body mass) and secondary efficacy (body mass index, quality of life, and serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α) parameters improved after treatment in all three arms. There were no statistically significant differences between treatment groups in the mean percentage changes in all efficacy parameters from baseline to end of study. Conclusions. MA plus meloxicam or EPA supplement plus meloxicam may be effective treatment options in the management of cancer cachexia. The combined use of these agents does not provide further advantages.

Cancer Cachexia: Beyond Weight Loss

Journal of oncology practice, 2016

Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by skeletal muscle loss leading to progressive functional impairment. Despite the ubiquity of cachexia in clinical practice, prevention, early identification, and intervention remain challenging. The impact of cancer cachexia on quality of life, treatment-related toxicity, physical function, and mortality are well established; however, establishing a clinically meaningful definition has proven challenging because of the focus on weight loss alone. Attempts to more comprehensively define cachexia through body composition, physical functioning, and molecular biomarkers, while promising, are yet to be routinely incorporated into clinical practice. Pharmacologic agents that have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration but that are currently used in cancer cachexia (ie, megestrol, dronabinol) may improve weight but not outcomes of interest such as muscle mass, physical activity, or mortality. Their routine use is...

A randomized phase II feasibility trial of a multimodal intervention for the management of cachexia in lung and pancreatic cancer

Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 2017

Cancer cachexia is a syndrome of weight loss (including muscle and fat), anorexia, and decreased physical function. It has been suggested that the optimal treatment for cachexia should be a multimodal intervention. The primary aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and safety of a multimodal intervention (n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid nutritional supplements, exercise, and anti-inflammatory medication: celecoxib) for cancer cachexia in patients with incurable lung or pancreatic cancer, undergoing chemotherapy. Patients receiving two cycles of standard chemotherapy were randomized to either the multimodal cachexia intervention or standard care. Primary outcome measures were feasibility assessed by recruitment, attrition, and compliance with intervention (>50% of components in >50% of patients). Key secondary outcomes were change in weight, muscle mass, physical activity, safety, and survival. Three hundred and ninety-nine were screened resulting in 46 patients recrui...

Exercise training as treatment in cancer cachexia

Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquée, nutrition et métabolisme, 2014

Cachexia is a wasting syndrome that may accompany a plethora of diseases, including cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, aids, and rheumatoid arthritis. It is associated with central and systemic increases of pro-inflammatory factors, and with decreased quality of life, response to pharmacological treatment, and survival. At the moment, there is no single therapy able to reverse cachexia many symptoms, which include disruption of intermediary metabolism, endocrine dysfunction, compromised hypothalamic appetite control, and impaired immune function, among other. Growing evidence, nevertheless, shows that chronic exercise, employed as a tool to counteract systemic inflammation, may represent a low-cost, safe alternative for the prevention/attenuation of cancer cachexia. Despite the well-documented capacity of chronic exercise to counteract sustained disease-related inflammation, few studies address the effect of exercise training in cancer cachexia. The aim of the present re...

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of cancer cachexia: A systematic review

Palliative Medicine, 2013

Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by loss of skeletal muscle (with or without loss of fat) that cannot be fully reversed with nutrition intervention and leads to progressive functional deterioration. 1 Patients typically display profound weight loss and death tends to occur when an affected individual's weight loss reaches 30% of pre-morbid levels. 2 This syndrome occurs in up to 80% of cancer patients and is the main cause of death in 20% of patients, 3 accounting for two million deaths worldwide. 4 Cachexia also has psycho-social implications for affected individuals, in that it can lead to social isolation, altered body image 5 and reduced quality of life. 2 Cachexia is Abstract Background: Cancer cachexia is a devastating syndrome of advanced malignancy which negatively impacts on patients' morbidity, mortality and quality of life. Chronic inflammation is a key characteristic of cancer cachexia. Therefore, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be able to break the cycle of cachexia. Aim: To systematically review the literature on the use of NSAIDs for the treatment of cachexia in advanced cancer patients. Design: All titles retrieved through searching were downloaded to a reference management database, duplicates were removed and the remaining citations were checked for eligibility. Full copies of all eligible articles were obtained and reviewed. Data sources: Electronic searches (from inception up to 09/2011) included CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Reference lists from reviewed articles, trial registers and abstracts from relevant conferences were searched. Eligibility criteria were (a) Randomised Controlled Trial; (b) participants were adults with cancer with weight loss or a clinical diagnosis of cachexia; (c) administration of oral NSAIDs. Results: Four studies were included. These studies provided some evidence of positive therapeutic effect on quality of life, performance status, inflammatory markers, weight gain and survival, but there was insufficient evidence demonstrated for their widespread use in practice. Conclusions: Insufficient studies have been performed to allow a conclusion to be formed with regard to the effectiveness of NSAIDs in the treatment of cachexia in advanced cancer. Major challenges in this patient cohort include the lack of uniformity of inclusion criteria across studies and the frailty of the patients recruited.

Management of Cancer Cachexia: ASCO Guideline

Journal of Clinical Oncology

PURPOSE To provide evidence-based guidance on the clinical management of cancer cachexia in adult patients with advanced cancer. METHODS A systematic review of the literature collected evidence regarding nutritional, pharmacologic, and other interventions, such as exercise, for cancer cachexia. PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews of RCTs published from 1966 through October 17, 2019. ASCO convened an Expert Panel to review the evidence and formulate recommendations. RESULTS The review included 20 systematic reviews and 13 additional RCTs. Dietary counseling, with or without oral nutritional supplements, was reported to increase body weight in some trials, but evidence remains limited. Pharmacologic interventions associated with improvements in appetite and/or body weight include progesterone analogs and corticosteroids. The other evaluated interventions either had no benefit or insufficient evidence of benefit t...

Revisiting Cancer Cachexia: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Current Treatment Approaches

2021

The objective of this article is to group together various management strategies and to highlight the recent treatment modifications that attempt to target the multimodal etiological factors involved in cancer cachexia. The contemporary role of nursing fraternity in psychosocial and nutritional assessment of cancer patients is briefly discussed. Cachexia is a syndrome of metabolic disturbance, characterized by the inflammation and loss of muscle with or without loss of adipose tissue. In cancer cachexia, a multifaceted condition, patients suffer from loss of body weight that leads to a negative impact on the quality of life and survival of the patients. The main cancers associated with cachexia are that of pancreas, stomach, lung, esophagus, liver, and that of bowel. The changes include increased proteolysis, lipolysis, insulin resistance, high energy expenditure, and reduced intake of food, all leading to impaired response to different treatments. There is no standardized treatment...