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?:abstract
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Cancer cachexia is a progressive loss of muscle mass (with or without a decrease of adipose tissue). Gradual deterioration of the patient\'s fitness is resistant to nutritional intervention. The biochemical foundation of observed catabolism, detrimental protein, and energy balance is composite. However, the generalized inflammatory response plays a vital role. It is a kind of cytokine storm, which involves increased activity of TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, and INF-γ. Pharmacological treatment of cachexia consists mainly of progestagens and glucocorticosteroids. Still, the assessment of new options limiting the harmful impact of cachexia could be beneficial. Chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) are old antimalarial agents endowed with immunomodulatory properties. Being potent autophagy inhibitors, they could lead to some kind of intracellular starvation in both immunocompetent effector cells and cancer cells, thus limiting the harmful impact of CC. CQ/HCQ are also efficient in particular connective tissue disorders. They have gained special attention since the World Health Organization announced the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. According to initial reports, people with a severe inflammatory reaction achieved significant benefits. Possibly they could not be attributed to the antiviral activity alone. It is worth noting that the cytokine storm in COVID-19, connective tissue disorders, and cancer cachexia share some similarities. Therefore, we hypothesize that low doses of CQ/HCQ may prove efficient in cancer cachexia.
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