Here's why some cancer patients may experience severe weight loss, according to a study

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Increasing weight loss experienced by cancer patients that often leads to deaths may be caused by communication between the brain and liver, according to a study.

Nearly a third of cancer-related deaths are caused by cachexia -- a currently incurable metabolic syndrome that involves substantial weight loss, including depletion of muscle mass and body fat.

It also contributes to therapy resistance and increases mortality among affected patients.

Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, US, have discovered that one of the reasons for this loss is disrupted communication between the brain and the liver.

When the activity of the vagus nerve -- a major axis of brain-liver communication -- is dysregulated by cancer-triggered inflammation, the result is damage to liver metabolism and the development of the life-threatening syndrome.

The prevalence of cachexia in cancer patients is as high as 85 per cent in some cancers; it is among the highest in pancreatic and lung tumours, said researchers led by Dr. Naama Darzi at Weizmann and Dr. Aliesha Garrett at MD Anderson.

The study, published in the journal Cell, showed that targeted blocking of the right vagus nerve -- even when performed by noninvasive means -- prevented cachexia's development in mice, enhanced their response to chemotherapy, and improved their overall health and survival.

The method, already being tested in clinical trials, offers a new therapeutic approach that may lead to improved quality of life and even survival for cancer patients, the team said.

Since the method is based on technologies approved for clinical use, it is likely to reach patients relatively soon.

Beyond opening new treatment options for cancer patients, this study demonstrates that the brain-body communication plays a critical role in our health and disease, the researchers said.

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