David Currow, BMed, PhD, MPH, FRACP, FAChPM, FAHMS, GAICD of Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, discusses anamorelin in ROMANA 1 and ROMANA 2 studies. Anamorelin acts as a selective ghrelin receptor agonist and has a potential to increase lean body mass, appetite, and fat mass in people with cancer cachexia. Dr Currow highlights the 24-week follow-up data from ROMANA studies showing increase in lean body mass and fat mass, and decrease in anorexia, which was maintained in the anamorelin-treated study arm. Cachexia is one of the prognostic factors in cancer and Dr Currow sees this as a tremendous opportunity to open a new therapeutic corridor, which allows us to treat cachexia alongside the disease. Recorded at the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) 2016 Annual Congress in Adelaide, Australia.
