Cachexia is a severe complication of cancer that adversely affects the course of the disease, with currently no effective treatments. It is characterized by a progressive atrophy of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, resulting in weight loss, a reduced quality of life, and a shortened life expectancy. Although the cachectic condition primarily affects the skeletal muscle, a tissue that accounts for ~40% of total body weight, cachexia is considered a multi-organ disease that involves different tissues and organs, among which the cardiac muscle stands out for its relevance. Patients with cancer often experience severe cardiac abnormalities and manifest symptoms that are indicative of chronic heart failure, including fatigue, shortness of breath, and impaired exercise tolerance. Furthermore, cardiovascular complications are among the major causes of death in cancer patients who experienced cachexia. The lack of effective treatments for cancer cachexia underscores the need to improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Increasing evidence links the wasting of the cardiac and skeletal muscles to metabolic alterations, primarily increased energy expenditure, and to increased proteolysis, ensuing from activation of the major proteolytic machineries of the cell, including ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis and autophagy. This review aims at providing an overview of the key mechanisms of cancer cachexia, with a major focus on those that are shared by the skeletal and cardiac muscles.

恶病质是癌症的严重并发症，其对疾病的进程产生不利影响，目前没有有效的治疗方法。它的特征是骨骼肌和脂肪组织逐渐萎缩，导致体重减轻，生活质量下降和预期寿命缩短。尽管恶病质主要影响骨骼肌（占总体重约40％的组织），恶病质被认为是一种涉及不同组织和器官的多器官疾病，其中，心肌具有重要意义。癌症患者通常会经历严重的心脏异常，并表现出指示慢性心力衰竭的症状，包括疲劳，呼吸急促和运动耐量降低。此外，心血管并发症是经历恶病质的癌症患者死亡的主要原因之一。缺乏针对癌症恶病质的有效治疗方法，突显了对我们对潜在机制的理解的需要。越来越多的证据表明，由于细胞主要蛋白水解机制的激活，包括泛素依赖性蛋白水解和自噬，导致心肌和骨骼肌的浪费与代谢改变，能量消耗增加以及蛋白水解增加有关。这篇综述旨在概述癌症恶病质的关键机制，重点关注骨骼肌和心肌共有的那些机制。缺乏针对癌症恶病质的有效治疗方法，突显了对我们对潜在机制的理解的需要。越来越多的证据表明，由于细胞主要蛋白水解机制的激活，包括泛素依赖性蛋白水解和自噬，导致心肌和骨骼肌的浪费与代谢改变，能量消耗增加以及蛋白水解增加有关。这篇综述旨在概述癌症恶病质的关键机制，重点关注骨骼肌和心肌共有的那些机制。缺乏针对癌症恶病质的有效治疗方法，突显了对我们对潜在机制的理解的需要。越来越多的证据表明，由于细胞主要蛋白水解机制的激活，包括泛素依赖性蛋白水解和自噬，导致心肌和骨骼肌的浪费与代谢改变，能量消耗增加以及蛋白水解增加有关。这篇综述旨在概述癌症恶病质的关键机制，重点关注骨骼肌和心肌共有的那些机制。激活细胞的主要蛋白水解机制，包括泛素依赖性蛋白水解和自噬。这篇综述旨在概述癌症恶病质的关键机制，重点关注骨骼肌和心肌共有的那些机制。激活细胞的主要蛋白水解机制，包括泛素依赖性蛋白水解和自噬。这篇综述旨在概述癌症恶病质的关键机制，重点关注骨骼肌和心肌共有的那些机制。