Authors: Paola Costelli,; Maurizio Muscaritoli,; Fabio Penna,; Andrea Bonetto,; Valerio Giacomo Minero,; Zaira Aversa,; Silvia Iannuzzi,; Gabriella Bonelli,; Francesco M. Baccino,; Filippo Rossi Fanelli,

Source: Current Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 3, Number 3, August 2007 , pp. 242-248(7)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

The management of cancer patients is frequently complicated by the occurrence of cachexia, a complex syndrome characterized by marked depletion of body weight, associated with profound alterations of both nutritional status and metabolic homeostasis. Progressive wasting of skeletal muscle mass and adipose tissue is a typical feature of cancer cachexia. This syndrome has a large impact on morbidity and mortality, and significantly affects patients' quality of life. On this line, understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of cachexia is of crucial importance to define targeted therapeutic strategies.

Many studies have addressed the relevance of nutritional interventions in cancer hosts. In particular, it has been shown that malnutrition in cancer patients can be delayed when nutritional supplementation is adopted early in the course of the disease. The preservation of a good nutritional status, in particular when it is achieved concurrently with specific antineoplastic treatment, will prevent or at least delay the onset of overt cachexia, allowing the use of more aggressive therapeutic regimens. This paper will review the relevant literature, focusing on those options that have shown more promising for the clinical practice.

Keywords: cancer-related anorexia; Malignant tumors; metabolism; HDL-cholesterol levels; Lipid-Mobilizing Factor

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157340107781369198

Publication date: 2007-08-01

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• Current Nutrition & Food Science publishes frontier reviews on all the latest advances on basic and clinical nutrition and food sciences. The journal's aim is to publish the highest quality review articles dedicated to research in the field. The journal is essential reading for all nutrition and food scientists.

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