Evidence mapPaperPMID 41527122Full record

ReviewJournal of translational medicine2026

Exercise-modulated IL-6 in cancer cachexia: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential.

Shujuan Wei, Xinyi Lv, Yiming Xu, Shengguang Ding

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of translational medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Shujuan Wei *Department of Thoracic Surgery, Southeast University Affiliated Nantong First People's Hospital, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, Nantong First People's Hospital, No.666 Shengli Road, Chongchuan District, Nantong, 226001, P.R. China.
Xinyi Lv *Department of Thoracic Surgery, Southeast University Affiliated Nantong First People's Hospital, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, Nantong First People's Hospital, No.666 Shengli Road, Chongchuan District, Nantong, 226001, P.R. China.
Yiming Xu *Department of Thoracic Surgery, Southeast University Affiliated Nantong First People's Hospital, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, Nantong First People's Hospital, No.666 Shengli Road, Chongchuan District, Nantong, 226001, P.R. China.
Shengguang DingDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Southeast University Affiliated Nantong First People's Hospital, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, Nantong First People's Hospital, No.666 Shengli Road, Chongchuan District, Nantong, 226001, P.R. China. shengguangding@126.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-9897-6789

Funding

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation 2022M721725National Natural Science Foundation of China 82103021
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCancer cachexia is a multifactorial metabolic syndrome marked by progressive skeletal muscle wasting, systemic inflammation, reduced quality of life, and poor clinical outcomes. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a central mediator in cachexia pathophysiology, driving inflammatory signaling, catabolic metabolism, and muscle atrophy. However, IL-6 also rises transiently during exercise, where it exerts beneficial metabolic and anti-inflammatory effects, highlighting the context-dependent nature of IL-6 signaling. MAIN BODY: This review summarizes current knowledge on the regulation and function of IL-6 in cancer cachexia and examines how exercise training modulates IL-6 production and downstream signaling pathways. We focus on the mechanistic differences between chronic, tumor-derived IL-6 and acute, exercise-induced IL-6, particularly their divergent effects on the JAK/STAT3, NF-κB, and AMPK cascades. In addition, we review preclinical and clinical evidence demonstrating that exercise can attenuate cachexia by reprogramming inflammatory responses, preserving skeletal muscle mass, and improving metabolic homeostasis.

conclusionsAccumulating evidence indicates that structured exercise interventions may represent a promising non-pharmacological adjunct to counteract IL-6-driven cancer cachexia and improve patient outcomes. Future research should aim to optimize exercise prescriptions and explore potential synergistic effects between exercise and IL-6-targeted therapies to enhance therapeutic efficacy in cachectic cancer patients.

Indexed as

CachexiaExerciseInterleukin-6NeoplasmsAnimalsHumansInflammationMuscle, SkeletalSignal TransductionInterleukin-6Cancer cachexiaExerciseIL-6InflammationMuscle atrophy

Identifiers

PMID41527122
PMCPMC12888731

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.