Discovery could lead to treatments for this condition, cachexia
PSA Rising August 5, 2018 (NEW YORK, NY, June 6, 2018)—About one-third of all cancer deaths are caused not by the cancer itself but by cachexia—a debilitating muscle-wasting syndrome that affects an estimated 80 percent of advanced cancer patients. Cachexia is linked to reduced tolerance for cancer therapy, poor quality of life, and accelerated death, but there are no effective treatments and its cause is still largely unknown.
A new multicenter, internal study led by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center suggests that an overload of zinc in patients’ muscles may be the culprit. The findings, published online June 6 in Nature Medicine, could pave the way for the development of drugs to treat or prevent muscle wasting in advanced cancer patients. Continue reading “Excess Zinc in Muscles Contributes to Wasting Syndrome in Cancer”