The potential of ghrelin in cancer anorexia-cachexia

The cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS) is often seen in patients with incurable malignancies and is associated with increased mortality, decreased efficacy of anticancer treatments and poor quality of life. However, there are currently no effective therapies for CACS. Since CACS is a multifactorial syndrome with a complex pathophysiology, therapeutic interventions for CACS might potentially include anabolic agents as well as anti-inflammatory effects. Ghrelin affects numerous key pathways in the regulation of body weight and body composition through increased appetite and growth hormone (GH) secretion. Preliminary clinical data indicate that the administration of ghrelin and ghrelin receptor agonist such as anamorelin have beneficial effects on appetite and body weight in patients with CACS. Anamorelin is currently in phase III clinical trials.