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. Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 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.
Since the method is based on technologies approved for clinical use, it is likely to reach patients relatively soon
In a study published today in Cell, a research team led by Dr. Naama Darzi from Prof. Ayelet Erez’s lab at Weizmann and Dr. Aliesha Garrett from Prof. Xiling Shen’s lab at MD Andreson 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. Since the method is based on technologies approved for clinical use, it is likely to reach patients relatively soon.
The prevalence of cachexia in cancer patients is as high as 85% in some cancers; it is among the highest in pancreatic and lung tumors.
Beyond opening new treatment options for cancer patients, this research demonstrates that the brain-body communication plays a critical role in our health and disease.
Prof. Ayelet Erez is dean of the Miriam and Aaron Gutwirth Medical School and head of the David and Fela Shapell Family Center for Genetic Disorders Research. Her research is supported by the Moross Integrated Cancer Center; the Dr. Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling Weizmann Institute – Schneider Hospital Fund for Clinical Breakthroughs through Scientific Collaborations; and the Koret Foundation.
Prof. Erez is the incumbent of the Sir Ernst B. Chain Professorial Chair. The Blumberg Family Research Fellow Chair in Honor of Talia Lynn Steckman supports a staff scientist in Prof. Erez’s lab.
