Recent graduate Luca Delfinis, who undertook his doctorate under the supervision of Professor Christopher Perry, was the first to show this new understanding of cancer-related muscle weakness.
Luca Delfinis
"Previous studies reported that metabolic dysfunction occurs in muscles before they waste away during cancer," explains Perry. "Luca wanted to know if this early metabolic dysfunction also preceded muscle weakness, or whether they occur at the same time."
The initial discovery, published in the November 2022 issue of JCI Insight, showed muscle weakness occurs before muscle wasting in colon cancer, and that different muscles have varied responses over time due to change in their energy production and stress response. A second study published in Molecular Metabolism in August 2024 on ovarian cancer yielded the same results, "suggesting the phenomenon of muscle weakness occurring before muscle wasting is a fundamental aspect of cancer," says Perry.
The research reveals that cancer interferes with muscle cells' energy production, causing weakness before any detectable muscle loss. This insight has presented exciting possibilities for new treatment approaches and suggests metabolic dysfunction in muscles might serve as an early indicator of cancer.
A follow-up study that is currently under review investigates a novel treatment targeting metabolic dysfunction in muscle cells - and has had promising preliminary results.
"This completely changes our thinking about muscle weakness in cancer," says Delfinis, who now works as an associate scientific liaison at BenchSci, a leader in artificial intelligence solutions for preclinical research and development.
"We're not just looking at muscle wasting anymore - we're seeing a whole new aspect of how cancer affects the body, and that gives us new opportunities for intervention."
These discoveries have captured the attention of oncologists, who are anticipating the results of the next stage of the study, where the research team plans to investigate innovative ideas for clinical research and further development of therapies that improve muscle strength during cancer.
"Our oncologist colleagues said they have never heard of anyone question whether muscle weakness occurs before muscle wasting happens, let alone before a tumour is detectable," said Perry. "The implications of this research are far-reaching."
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
