Pathophysiological mechanisms of cachexia in patients with pancreatic cancer

Unintentional weight loss in patients with pancreatic cancer is common and contributes to poor therapeutic tolerability, reduced quality of life and overall mortality. Weight loss in pancreatic adenocarcinoma may be due to anorexia, malabsorption or cachexia, exocrine or endocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or side effects of surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment. In 50–80% of patients with this nosology, there is a marked weight loss as the cancer progresses, which is one of the most alarming and difficult to treat features of pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, available treatment options for cachexia are currently limited and there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the underlying molecular pathways associated with this condition. Thus, this review aims to provide the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with cachexia and potential therapeutic targets for the development of effective treatments for this condition