This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Save to my personal folders Download to citation manager Rights & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Davis, M. P. Articles by LeGrand, S. B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Davis, M. P. Articles by LeGrand, S. B. Related Articles Related Correspondence Social Bookmarking                            What's this?

Appetite and Cancer-Associated Anorexia: A Review

From the Harry R. Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine, Department of Hematology/Medical Oncology; the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center Cleveland, OH

Address reprint requests to Mellar P. Davis, MD, FCCP, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Ave, R35, Cleveland, OH 44195; e-mail: davism6{at}ccf.org

Appetite is governed by peripheral hormones and central neurotransmitters that act on the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus and nucleus tactus solitarius of the brainstem. Cancer anorexia appears to be the result of an imbalance between neuropeptide-Y and pro-opiomelanocortin signals favoring pro-opiomelanocortin. Many of the appetite stimulants redress this imbalance. Most of our understanding of appetite neurophysiology and tumor-associated anorexia is derived from animals and has not been verified in humans. There have been few clinical trials and very little translational research on anorexia despite its prevalence in cancer.

A WHO project in palliative medicine.

Authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

Related Correspondence

• Serotonin and Cancer Anorexia: Myths or Facts?
  A. Laviano, F. Rossi Fanelli, and M.M. Meguid
  JCO 2005 23: 2111-2112 [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. Karpel-Massler, U. Schmidt, A. Unterberg, and M.-E. Halatsch Therapeutic Inhibition of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in High-Grade Gliomas: Where Do We Stand? Mol. Cancer Res., July 1, 2009; 7(7): 1000 - 1012. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. J. Tisdale Mechanisms of Cancer Cachexia Physiol Rev, April 1, 2009; 89(2): 381 - 410. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Idbaih, F. Ducray, M. Sierra Del Rio, K. Hoang-Xuan, and J.-Y. Delattre Therapeutic Application of Noncytotoxic Molecular Targeted Therapy in Gliomas: Growth Factor Receptors and Angiogenesis Inhibitors Oncologist, September 1, 2008; 13(9): 978 - 992. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D J Harrington, H Western, C Seton-Jones, S Rangarajan, T Beynon, and M J Shearer A study of the prevalence of vitamin K deficiency in patients with cancer referred to a hospital palliative care team and its association with abnormal haemostasis J. Clin. Pathol., April 1, 2008; 61(4): 537 - 540. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Radbruch, F. Strasser, F. Elsner, J. F. Goncalves, J. Loge, S. Kaasa, F. Nauck, P. Stone, and the Research Steering Committee of the European As Fatigue in palliative care patients -- an EAPC approach Palliative Medicine, January 1, 2008; 22(1): 13 - 32. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. Ma and A. Jatoi Wine for Appetite Loss: "How Do You Know?" J. Clin. Oncol., April 1, 2007; 25(10): 1285 - 1287. [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. E Shragge, W. V Wismer, K. L Olson, and V. E Baracos The management of anorexia by patients with advanced cancer: a critical review of the literature Palliative Medicine, September 1, 2006; 20(6): 623 - 629. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. E Morley, D. R Thomas, and M.-M. G Wilson Cachexia: pathophysiology and clinical relevance. Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, April 1, 2006; 83(4): 735 - 743. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. A. Reardon and P. Y. Wen Therapeutic advances in the treatment of glioblastoma: rationale and potential role of targeted agents. Oncologist, February 1, 2006; 11(2): 152 - 164. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Wilcock Anorexia: a taste of things to come? Palliative Medicine, January 1, 2006; 20(1): 43 - 45. [PDF]

				T. Yavuzsen, M. P. Davis, D. Walsh, S. LeGrand, and R. Lagman Systematic Review of the Treatment of Cancer-Associated Anorexia and Weight Loss J. Clin. Oncol., November 20, 2005; 23(33): 8500 - 8511. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.N. Gordon, S.R. Green, and P.M. Goggin Cancer cachexia QJM, November 1, 2005; 98(11): 779 - 788. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. W. Mattox Treatment of Unintentional Weight Loss in Patients With Cancer Nutr Clin Pract, August 1, 2005; 20(4): 400 - 410. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. A. de Jong, F. K. Engels, R. H.J. Mathijssen, L. van Zuylen, J. Verweij, R. P.H. Peters, and A. Sparreboom Medicinal Cannabis in Oncology Practice: Still a Bridge Too Far? J. Clin. Oncol., May 1, 2005; 23(13): 2886 - 2891. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Laviano, F. R. Fanelli, and M.M. Meguid Serotonin and Cancer Anorexia: Myths or Facts? J. Clin. Oncol., March 20, 2005; 23(9): 2111 - 2112. [Full Text] [PDF]