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Updated: May 17, 2026

The Colon-26 Carcinoma Tumor-bearing Mouse as a Model for the Study of Cancer Cachexia
Published on: November 30, 2016
The potential of ghrelin in the treatment of cancer cachexia
Josep M Argilés1, Britta Stemmler
1Cancer Research Group, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. jargiles@ub.edu
Introduction:
Cachexia is a multiorgan syndrome associated with cancer, characterized by body weight loss, muscle and adipose tissue wasting and inflammation, being often associated with anorexia.
Areas Covered:
The aim of the present review is to examine the impact of ghrelin and its agonists in the treatment of cancer cachexia, both at the biochemical and physiological level a taking into account new clinical and experimental data related to the effects of ghrelin on food intake and metabolism. The methodology undertaken includes both personal publications and other obtained by Medline search.
Expert Opinion:
Based on experimental evidence, it is concluded that ghrelin strategies are good candidates for muscle wasting treatment because ghrelin levels are elevated in cancer cachexia and ghrelin controls mediators involved in the cachectic process. Future clinical studies addressed at the interaction between the peptide and protein turnover in human skeletal muscle should be performed.
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