[Molecular and cellular biological analysis on cancer cachexia syndrome]

About half of patients with cancer will suffer from wasting syndrome, called cancer cachexia, which shows abnormality of homeostasis, nutrition, endocrine function, metabolism, immunity et al. This syndrome is characterized with anorexia and weight loss caused by degradation of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Progressive weight loss is responsible not only for a poor quality of life and poor response to anti-cancer drug, but also shorter survival time comparing patient without weight loss. Various factors have been found as mediators of this syndrome base on the development of immunology, biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology. These include several cytokines, proteolysis-inducing factor (PIF), lipid-mobilizing factor (LMF), apoptosis-inducing factor and another factors. Recentry, molecular biological analysis makes clear more detail mechanisms of cancer cachexia syndrome, for example, ubiqutin/proteasome pathway, activation of nuclear transcriptional factors and others. These progresses will contribute not only to establish new treatment but also to carry out "order-made palliative oncology" using DNA-chip and/or Protein-chip in near future.