Ponsegromab for Cancer Cachexia — A New Dawn for an Old Condition?

Hippocrates, the father of medicine (460 to 370 b.c.), described cachexia as a condition in which "the flesh is consumed and becomes water,…the abdomen fills with water, the feet and legs swell, and the shoulders, clavicles, chest, and thighs melt away." Nearly 2500 years later, we recognize that cachexia undermines the effectiveness of cancer therapy, diminishes the quality of life for patients and their loved ones, and reduces survival rates. Despite major advances in cancer care, no standard treatment has been developed for cancer cachexia, and, alarmingly, no approved therapy is available in North America or Europe. Considering that cachexia . . .