The pivotal role of cytokines in muscle wasting during cancer

The cachectic syndrome, characterized by a marked weight loss, anorexia, asthenia and anemia, is invariably associated with the presence and growth of the tumour and leads to a malnutrition status due to the induction of anorexia or decreased food intake. In addition, the competition for nutrients between the tumour and the host leads to an accelerated catabolic state, which promotes severe metabolic disturbances in the host, including hypermetabolism, which leads to an increased energetic inefficiency. Although the search for the cachectic factor(s) started a long time ago, and although many scientific and economic efforts have been devoted to its discovery, we are still a long way from knowing the whole truth. Present investigation is devoted to unrevealing the different signaling pathways (particulary transcriptional factors) involved in muscle wasting. The main aim of the present review is to summarize and evaluate the different molecular mechanisms and catabolic mediators involved in cancer cachexia since they may represent targets for future promising clinical investigations.