[Future Prospects of Cancer Cachexia]

Cancer cachexia(CC)is defined as a multifactorial syndrome that causes anorexia and an ongoing loss of skeletal muscle mass(with or without loss of fat mass). In 2011, the definition of CC was established and in 2021, the novel anti-CC drug, anamorelin was launched in Japan. A new era of CC treatment has begun. However, although anamorelin alone has been shown to increase appetite and lean body mass, it has not been shown to restore skeletal muscle function. Therefore, combined intervention therapy that combines nutrition and exercise interventions is required. Those non-pharmacologic therapy are not yet established, but clinical trials are currently underway in Japan or European countries. Further work on CC is underway to elucidate the mechanisms, establish biomarkers, develop new pharmacotherapies targeting the markers, establish new diagnostic and pathological assessment methods, and establish predictors of the efficacy of anamorelin.