Figure 2.

Timeline of discoveries in cancer cachexia. In 1951, the first systemic manifestation of cancer was described in rats. In 1962, it was observed that injection of tumor preparations in mice was sufficient to induce fat atrophy. In 1983 and 1985, the first candidate molecules were identified. Seminal publications in 1993 and 2001 described a role for the ubiquitin pathway and myostatin in skeletal muscle atrophy. It was not until some years ago that an international consensus on the diagnostic criteria of CAC was reached. Promising results have been reported in late 2015 from the first phase III clinical trial targeting CAC with the ghrelin receptor agonist anamorelin (https://www.iaslc.org/news/results-phase-iii-trials-anamorelin-advanced-non-small-cell-lung-cancer-patients-cachexia).