Muscle wasting in cancer does not spare the heart
Wednesday, September 8, 2010 - 12:21
in Health & Medicine
The wasting disease associated with some cancers that is typically seen affecting skeletal muscles can also cause significant damage to the heart, new research in mice suggests. Before now, cachexia, characterized by muscle wasting and dramatic weight loss, was believed to spare the heart. But a new study shows that the condition reduces heart function and changes the heart muscle structure in mice with colon cancer.