Oesophageal cancer is the ninth most common cancer and the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide [1]. Over the past number of years, due to earlier diagnosis and better treatment, we are seeing improvements in the survival rates of oesophageal cancer, with more patients living longer post-esophagectomy surgery. Unintentional weight loss is a common unintended feature seen in patients post-esophagectomy done with curative intent. Many recent studies have demonstrated the links between the pathophysiology of the weight loss following esophagogastric cancer surgery and the biological mechanism of weight loss following bariatric surgery. The predominant cause of the weight loss in both circumstances appears to the postoperative alterations in gut hormone signalling. This paper explores these over-lapping gut hormones signalling mechanisms and discusses the use of this increased understanding of hormone signalling to develop potential pharmacologic targets for the management of unintentional weight loss post-esophagogastric cancer surgery.
Cancer Cachexia: The Comparative Mechanisms of Weight Loss after Esophagectomy and Bariatric Surgery