A new study shows that severe weight loss in many cancer patients, which often leads to death, may be caused by problems in communication between the brain and the liver. This discovery helps explain a condition called cachexia that affects many cancer patients.
What is Cachexia?
Cachexia is a serious illness where patients lose a lot of weight, including muscle and fat. It happens in about one-third of cancer deaths and is very common in cancers like pancreatic and lung cancer. This condition weakens patients and makes it harder for them to respond to treatment, increasing the risk of dying.
Scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the US found that the problem starts when inflammation caused by cancer disrupts signals sent through the vagus nerve. This nerve is important because it connects the brain and the liver and helps control how the liver works.
When the vagus nerve doesn’t work properly, the liver’s metabolism is affected. This leads to the weight loss and muscle loss seen in cachexia.
Study findings
The study, published in the journal Cell, tested a new treatment on mice. Researchers blocked the right vagus nerve using a noninvasive method. This stopped cachexia from developing, helped the mice respond better to chemotherapy, and improved their health and survival.
This new method is already being tested in clinical trials with humans. Since it uses technology already approved for medical use, it could soon become a new treatment option for cancer patients suffering from cachexia.
The study also shows how important communication between the brain and body is for our health. Understanding how nerves control metabolism could help treat other diseases too.
Cachexia is a serious problem because there is no cure right now, and it makes cancer much harder to fight. But this new research offers hope by showing a new way to stop or slow down this dangerous condition.
Millions of cancer patients worldwide face the risk of cachexia every year. Scientists hope this discovery will help improve their chances of survival and quality of life.
As cancer treatment improves, this study reminds us that our body’s systems are closely connected. Fighting diseases may need new approaches that look at how organs work together, not just the disease itself.
With more research and clinical trials ongoing, we may soon have better ways to help cancer patients beat cachexia and live healthier lives.
