Systemic Effects of Cancer Think Tank

Cancer is a complex systemic disease. Through a multitude of bidirectional soluble and physical interactions, cancer alters inter-organ communication and the macroenvironment. These alterations can impact responses to therapy and patient outcomes. However, our understanding of the complexity of systemic effects of cancer lags behind our understanding of primary cancers and local tumor microenvironmental interactions.

Systems-biology oriented approaches are providing ways to begin to understand the dynamics of the systemic effects of cancer across scales, tissues and organs. Studies of cancer metastasis and cancer cachexia illuminate the complexities and difficulties in studying systemic effects. Although typically studied independently, metastasis and cachexia often coevolve, sharing overlapping mechanisms, pathways, and components that reprogram physiology, inflammation, and metabolism.

The Systemic Effects of Cancer Think Tank was held on April 16 - 17, 2024 to assess the current state of understanding of the systemic effects of cancer and what would be needed to promote and accelerate progress to impact patient outcomes.

Experts in cancer cachexia, metastasis, and systems biology explored overarching themes focusing on systemic crosstalk (interactions and communications), modulators and drivers of systemic effects, and approaches to study or model systemic effects in patients and identify potential points of intervention during the meeting. They also discussed our understanding of how the macroenvironment and inter-organ communication changes in response to cancer.