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Tumours block protective muscle and nerve signals to cause cachexia

Certain cancers cause people to weaken and waste away. A mouse model of this points to tumour-induced blockade of molecules that normally protect muscle innervation and mass. Will the discovery lead to therapies for this deadly condition?
  1. Teresa A. Zimmers

    1. Teresa A. Zimmers is in the Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA.

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People who have certain types of cancer, particularly gastrointestinal and lung tumours, frequently experience what is called cachexia1 — a progressive and often severe weight loss, irrespective of the level of food intake. This condition arises when tumours rewire the body’s neural, immune and metabolic systems to trigger the breakdown (catabolism) of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle2,3. As their muscles grow weaker and smaller, affected individuals lose their ability to function normally. They become vulnerable to injury, infections and treatment toxicities, and then ultimately fail to respond to cancer treatment.

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Nature 598, 37-38 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02492-9

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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