Animal models of cancer-associated cachexia

Cachexia is a complex metabolic disorder associated with several chronic diseases, including cancer. Cachexia-associated complications, including muscle wasting, fat depletion, immobility, severe impairment of respiratory muscles, and cardiopulmonary failure, contribute to significant mortality in cancer patients. Currently, there is no FDA (Food and Drug Administration)-approved treatment for cachexia. The key factor for the lack of anticachectic therapy is the complexity of this disease and its variable nature. The clinical end points of cachexia are poorly defined, and a scarcity of information exists regarding the exact underlying molecular mechanisms of cancer-associated cachexia. The use of improved, physiologically relevant models of cancer-induced cachexia will improve our understanding of underlying molecular mechanism of cancer-induced cachexia and provide a platform to evaluate novel therapeutic agents. The focus of the current chapter is to provide updated information about the different animal models currently in use to study of cancer-associated cachexia.