Pharmacological Treatments for Cancer-Related Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
Zamanian N, Mohajerani A, Barkhordar M, Rahimlou M
Published in Nutrition and Cancer
Methodology
Umbrella review of 17 systematic reviews and meta-analyses covering 61 RCTs of anamorelin, megestrol acetate, cannabinoids and omega-3 fatty acids for cancer-related anorexia-cachexia.
Key Findings
Anamorelin showed the most promise on lean mass and weight; omega-3 fatty acids gave only limited quality-of-life benefit with inconsistent effects on weight, lean mass or inflammation.
Conclusions
Nutritional and pharmacological appetite interventions in cachexia have low-certainty evidence; omega-3 in particular is not reliably appetite-restoring.
Limitations
Low to very low certainty across most outcomes and overlapping primary trials between reviews.
Supplements Studied
Omega-3 fatty acids provided limited benefits, with small improvements in health-related quality of life but inconsistent effects on body weight, lean body mass, or inflammation.
Related Health Concerns
Study Details
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Disclosures
Funding
Not stated
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