SYDNEY,(UPI) -- Australian medical scientists have developed a way to control the extreme weight loss common in late-stage cancer that often speeds death.

   Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney said their findings suggest it might soon be possible to prevent the condition, giving people the strength to survive treatment and improve their chances of recovery.

   The researchers, and colleagues from St Vincent’s Hospital and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, found most common cancers produce large amounts of a molecule known as MIC-1, which in turn targets receptors in the brain that switch off appetite.

   Antibodies against MIC-1, already developed by St Vincent’s, make it possible to switch appetite back on. Conversely, when normal and obese mice are treated with MIC-1, they eat less and lose a lot of weight, suggesting MIC-1 might also form the basis of a treatment for severe obesity.

   The research is detailed in the journal Nature Medicine.
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