01/11/2024
๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐
, a type of drug known as a monoclonal antibody, targets a protein called GDF-15. Several drugs targeting GDF-15 or another that it interacts with in the brain, called GFRAL, are in development as possible treatments for cachexia, but ponsegromab is the first to advance this far in clinical trials.
No drugs are approved in the United States or Europe to treat cachexia, so the results with ponsegromab represent โa big breakthrough in the field of cancer cachexia research,โ said Richard Dunne, M.D., of the Wilmot Cancer Center in New York and an investigator on the trial.
In a press release, Pfizerโwhich makes ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ and funded the trialโsaid it is planning to launch a larger trial of the drug next year in people with cancer and cachexia. If the trial produces similarly positive results, it could lead to the drugโs approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฑ๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ
Cachexia has long been considered an almost insurmountable problem in people with cancer, usually those with advanced disease. It's also commonly seen in several other health conditions, including heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.
In its most severe form, with muscle and fat slipping away over a period of months for no apparent reason, it can cause extreme weakness and fatigue, along with unwelcome changes in skin color and overall physical appearance. Its physiologic impact, particularly on the lungs and heart, can lead directly to death.
Although it can occur in many types of cancer, cachexia most commonly occurs in people with pancreatic, colorectal, lung, and head and neck cancers, as well as some blood cancers and sarcomas.
According to E. Ramsay Camp, M.D., of Baylor College of Medicineโs Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, for oncologists like him who specialize in treating pancreatic and other cancers in which cachexia is common, the condition is always top of mind.
โOne of the first things I ask new patients [with these cancers] is whether theyโve lost weight,โ said Dr. Camp, who was not involved in the trial. Any weight loss could be a sign that cachexia is starting to set in. Even in people whose cancer is still in early stages, a loss of muscle and fat can affect their ability to tolerate and complete their treatments, he explained.
โPatients often ask me what they can do to helpโ with their treatment, he said. โAnd my number one comment is always to maintain your weight, because [your] cancer treatments will take a toll.โ
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-15 ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐, ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐จ๐ง
For years, researchers struggled to understand cachexia's biological underpinningsโwhat happens in cells and organ systems that causes muscle to deteriorate and squelches peopleโs desire and ability to eat.
Over the last decade, however, cachexia researchers have made substantial headway in understanding the biologic players involved in cachexia and identified some tangible leads for possible treatments.
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