Combination therapy of cancer cachexia

Cancer cachexia has multifactorial pathogenesis, including loss of weight, muscle atrophy and loss of appetite. Chen & Qiu studied the effects of different combinations of growth hormone, insulin and indomethacin on cachexia in a murine cancer cachexia model. By day 11, tumor-free bodyweight of cachectic mice had significantly decreased. This effect was alleviated by treatment with growth hormone, insulin and indomethacin, which also increased survival, indicating that combination therapy which targets different pathogenic mechanisms has great potential for treatment of cachexia. Chen & Qiu (2011) Journal of Endocrinology 208 131–136.

Read the full article at DOI: 10.1677/JOE-10-0341.