Researchers turn to testosterone in an effort to address debilitating loss of muscle mass in cancer patients.
Studies have noted that “[a]pproximately half of all patients with cancer experience cachexia,” severely impairing their quality of life.
It appears to be “responsible for the death of 22 [percent] of cancer patients.”
What exactly causes this condition — which appears in some patients but not in others — remains unclear, and options to manage and address it are scarce.
But recently, researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston — led by Dr. Melinda Sheffield-Moore, from the Department of Health and Kinesiology — have been investigating the potential of administering testosterone in addition to chemotherapy in order to ameliorate the impact of cachexia.
[“Source-timesofindia”]