Muscle Atrophy in Cancer.

ABSTRACT

Cancer is a prevalent disease with high mortality and morbidity. Muscle atrophy is a severe and disabling clinical condition that frequently accompanies cancer development such as muscle atrophy in pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, and bladder cancer. The majority of cancer patients are accompanied with cachexia. Cancer-associated cachexia is characterized by weight loss and muscle atrophy. Muscle wasting is a pivotal feature of cancer cachexia. Muscle atrophy refers to the reduction of muscle mass caused by muscle itself or the dysfunction of nervous system. Muscle atrophy causes serious clinical consequences such as physical impairment, poor life quality, reduced tolerance to treatments, and short survival. Although many reports have studied cancer-related muscle atrophy, there is still no clear understanding of it. Here we will describe the prevalence, mechanisms, pathophysiological effects, and current clinical treatments of muscle atrophy in cancer.