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Updated: Dec 10, 2025

The Colon-26 Carcinoma Tumor-bearing Mouse as a Model for the Study of Cancer Cachexia
Published on: November 30, 2016
Exploiting common aspects of obesity and cancer cachexia for future therapeutic strategies
Claudia-Eveline Molocea1, Foivos-Filippos Tsokanos1, Stephan Herzig2
1Institute for Diabetes and Cancer, Helmholtz Center Munich, Neuherberg, Germany; Joint Heidelberg-IDC Translational Diabetes Program, Inner Medicine 1, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung, Neuherberg, Germany.
Abstract:
Obesity and cancer cachexia are diseases at opposite ends of the BMI. However, despite the apparent dichotomy, these pathologies share some common underlying mechanisms that lead to profound metabolic perturbations. Insulin resistance, adipose tissue lipolysis, skeletal muscle atrophy and systemic inflammation are key players in both diseases. Several strategies for pharmacological treatments have been employed in obesity and cancer cachexia but demonstrated only limited effects. Therefore, there is still a need to develop novel, more effective strategies. In this review we summarize existing therapies and discuss potential novel strategies that could arise by bridging common aspects between obesity and cachexia. We discuss the potential role of macrophage manipulation and the modulation of inflammation by targeting Nuclear Receptors (NRs) as potential novel therapeutic strategies.
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