**6. Conclusion**

Inflammation through IL-6 and TNF-α is an important mechanism by which cancer causes muscle catabolism. Reducing inflammation by exercise, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and monoclonal antibodies would appear to be a potential strategy to curtail cancer cachexia. Also, augmenting protein synthesis by utilizing exercise, creatine monohydrate, albuterol, testosterone, and anabolic steroids would also appear to be a potential strategy to curtail cancer cachexia. Utilizing megestrol acetate would be indicated for cancer cachexia only if accompanied by testosterone replacement and exercise. The off-label oral use of albuterol is anabolic to skeletal muscle in healthy elderly individuals and future clinical trials could evaluate its utility in cancer cachexia. Ghrelin analogues, that is, growth hormone secretagogues, although not FDA approved, elevate, in pulsatile manner, growth hormone and IGF-1 concentrations and increase significantly lean body mass accrual (some studies in cancer) with few if any side effects. Therefore, these nutritional supplements are indicated for the treatment of cancer cachexia. For a depiction of Ligand-Receptor interactions discussed in this Chapter please see (**Figure 1**).

*Attenuating Cancer Cachexia-Prolonging Life DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101250*

#### **Figure 1.**

*A schematic representation of monoclonal antibodies and cytokines, mechanism of action of growth hormone and putative mechanism of beta-2 agonists in animals, and of testosterone and anabolic steroids on skeletal muscle.*
