Effect of anamorelin treatment duration on survival of patients with cancer cachexia: A retrospective study

Real-world data on the effectiveness of anamorelin in managing cancer cachexia remains limited, particularly as its availability is currently restricted to Japan. In the present study, anamorelin use in cancer cachexia management was retrospectively evaluated, focusing on patient characteristics and survival after both short- and long-term use. Patients prescribed anamorelin between August 2021 and January 2024 at the Saitama Canc2er Center (Ina, Japan) were included. Medical records were reviewed to collect baseline characteristics at anamorelin treatment initiation. The patients were divided into two groups: short- and long-treatment groups (STT and LTT, respectively). Overall, 60 and 69 patients were included in the STT and LTT groups, respectively. Significant intergroup differences were found in age (P=0.021), gastric cancer incidence rate (P=0.013), albumin level of <3.5 g/dl (P=0.044) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score (P=0.008). The longest median time from diagnosis to anamorelin treatment initiation was observed for colorectal cancer, while the longest median anamorelin treatment duration was observed for lung cancer. The median survival durations during anamorelin treatment were 49 and 142 days in the STT and LTT groups, respectively (P<0.001). The corresponding median survival durations after anamorelin treatment termination in the STT and LTT groups were 38 and 34 days (P=0.554), respectively. Anamorelin treatment duration influenced patient survival, with post-discontinuation survival being ~1 month, regardless of treatment length.