“Weight loss caused by cancer can be dangerous and frustrating for patients. This trial offers hope that a new solution may be on the horizon,” said Dr Tim Asmis.Half of people with cancer will lose over 10 percent of their body weight as the disease reduces their appetite and speeds up their metabolism. Known as cachexia, this loss of fat and muscle can hinder cancer treatment and contributes to a quarter of all cancer deaths. There is no solution besides eating high-protein and high-calorie foods. 

However, a phase 2 randomized controlled trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine offers a possible future treatment for some people. The trial enrolled 187 people with cancer cachexia who also had high levels of a protein called GDF-15, which contributes to cachexia. They received a placebo or different doses of ponsegromab, an investigational drug that blocks the action of GDF-15. 

Those who received the drug gained more weight than the placebo group after 12 weeks (median of 2.81 kg for the highest dose). The highest dose group also saw improved appetite and physical activity. 

Dr. Tim Asmis led the trial site at The Ottawa Hospital. See media coverage in CNBC. “

Weight loss caused by cancer can be dangerous and frustrating for patients. This trial offers hope that a new solution may be on the horizon,” said Dr. Asmis, a medical oncologist and clinician investigator at The Ottawa Hospital, and associate professor at the University of Ottawa.

Ottawa team members: Tim Asmis, Moira Rushton, Jenny Zhang

Funding: Pfizer

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.