[Cachexia and Sarcopenia Associated with Lung Cancer].

Lung cancer is the most common cause of death in all kinds of cancers in Japan, and the number of it increased year and year in these 50 years. Since the 5-year survival rate of advanced lung cancer is only 6.4%, it is one of the poorest prognosis cancers. Almost 70% of patients with advanced lung cancer is suggested to be in precachexia/cachexia stage at their diagnosis. Cancer cachexia is one of the major reasons of refractory to chemotherapy and cancer death, however there is no effective treatment developed. Because cancer cachexia is multifactorial syndrome, multimodal treatment is needed. Anamorelin, a novel selective ghrelin receptor agonist, is under development for treating cancer cachexia. It has promising results in improving lean body mass in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)and gastrointestinal cancer who suffer from cancer cachexia. The trial for early induction of multimodal intervention, Nutrition and Exercise Treatment for Advanced Cancer(NEXTAC)program, showed excellent feasibility and safety in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC and pancreatic cancer. These trials can develop a novel method for the treatment of cancer cachexia.