WEBINAR—Musculoskeletal Complications of Cancer and Its Treatments

November 18, 2021
11 a.m. EST

Cancer is frequently associated with cachexia, a debilitating muscle-wasting syndrome that leads to reduced tolerance of anticancer therapies, as well as increased risk of developing additional diseases or death (morbidity and mortality). In this webinar, Andrea Bonetto, PhD, associate professor of Surgery at Indiana University, will present evidence showing that bone preservation directly impacts muscle size and function in cachexia, which contributes to unraveling novel pathogenetic mechanisms and opening new avenues for treatment.

Bonetto's research group reports that animal models of cancer show reduced skeletal muscle mass and strength, and dramatic bone loss despite the absence of cancerous spread to the bones (metastases). Their latest findings reveal muscle and bone depletion may also occur as a direct consequence of anticancer treatments such as chemotherapy. There is now substantial agreement that abnormalities of the “muscle-bone crosstalk” may contribute to the onset of cachexia secondary to cancer or chemotherapy. Clinical and experimental observations also suggest that pharmacological bone preservation may concurrently benefit muscle mass in animal models, burn patients and people with osteoporosis.

Key learning objectives include:

• assessing relevant clinical features of cancer cachexia;
• linking bone abnormalities to the loss of muscle mass and function in cancer or following chemotherapy; and
• recognizing the importance of assessing bone quality in cancer, even in the absence of bone metastases.

Speaker

Andrea Bonetto, PhD, associate professor of Surgery at Indiana University, graduated from the University of Torino in Italy and completed his postdoctoral training at University of Miami and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. His research is primarily focused on the multiorgan and multisystemic complications of cancer and its treatments.