PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A new study from OHSU is claiming to show promise in the treatment of what they are calling an “urgent, unmet need” in cancer patients.
The study, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine , touches on how cancer patients can suffer from a syndrome called cachexia. This involves appetite loss, loss of muscle mass and decreased physical activity.
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Further, according to OHSU medical oncologist and study co-author Dr. Eric Roeland, it also impedes the ability to give cancer treatment, since patients struggle to get food down in some instances.
“I’ve even had patients pretend to be asleep in their rooms, or I’ve had patients put rocks and coins in their pockets so when they stand on the scale that their loved one doesn’t get on their case,” said Dr. Roeland.
The study enrolled 187 participants from across the world, each undergoing treatment for either lung, colorectal or pancreatic cancer. Each of the participants were given a monthly dose of a drug called ponsegromab, a lab-manufactured clone of the body’s antibodies.