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cachexia in cancer patients is a clinical syndrome characterized by nutrient depletion, which can lead to decreased appetite, weight loss, muscle atrophy, decreased quality of life, functional impairment, and reduced survival rate. several studies have shown that cachexia affects up to 60%-80% of cancer patients and even causes up to 20%-30% of cancer deaths. currently, there is no effective treatment to improve cachexia in a targeted manner.

recently, a study called "ponsegromab" was released at the 2024 european society for medical oncology (esmo) congress and published simultaneously in the new england journal of medicine. the results of this study bring new hope for improving cachexia and have a positive impact on the quality of life of patients.

ponsegromab is a monoclonal antibody targeting growth differentiation factor 15 (gdf-15), which can block its binding to the gfral receptor. gdf-15 is a cytokine that is elevated in cachexia patients. gdf-15 binds to the gfral receptor in the brain, and the binding of the two is closely related to anorexia, weight loss, etc.

the study evaluated the effect of ponsegromab in a 12-week phase 2 randomized double-blind trial. a total of 187 patients with common cancers who had cachexia and elevated serum gdf-15 levels (≥1500 pg/ml) were randomly assigned to receive either ponsegromab or a placebo.

the results of the study were surprising:

• weight gain: patients in the ponsegromab group gained more than 5% of their body weight at week 12, which provided a positive sign of improvement in cachexia and was in line with the intervention goal recommended by relevant experts.
• improved appetite: anorexia improved in patients treated with ponsegromab, and both their faact-acs scores and faact-5iass scores showed positive changes.
• increased activity: patients in the ponsegromab group also increased their overall activity by 72 minutes per day, indicating improved physical function.
• good security: although some patients reported adverse events for various reasons, overall, ponsegromab had a good safety profile with mild side effects.

this study provides new hope for improving cachexia in cancer patients and has a positive impact on the quality of life of patients. as a targeted therapy, ponsegromab has the potential value to be further studied and developed, providing new possibilities for improving the quality of life and prolonging the survival of cachexia patients.