An invitation to the 2nd Cancer Cachexia Conference, Montréal, Canada

The National Cancer Institute in the USA has recently placed greater emphasis on cancer cachexia research by identifying this syndrome as a provocative question needing to be addressed in order to drive progress against cancer. Such funding mechanisms are expected to stimulate cutting edge approaches at both the basic and clinical science levels to advance our understanding of the underlying causes of cachexia. The goal is to identify and test lead compounds that preserve the loss of adipose and skeletal muscle tissues in pancreatic and other tumor types prone to developing cachexia. Complementing the Provocative Questions mechanism, a cancer cachexia conference was organized in 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA,with the goal of creating a forumwhereby basic and clinical scientists from academia and industry could freely interact to share ideas from published and unpublished work so as to advance our understanding on the factors and mechanisms driving weight loss, weakness, and fatigue in cancer patients. This first cancer cachexia conference was viewed as a success as evidenced by the high number of registrations from Ph.D. and M.D. scientists, the balanced representation from academia and industry, the quality of unpublished data presented, the breath of the science, and the positive feedback received from a solicited questionnaire. Based on these achievements and significant scientific advancements made within the last few years, the decision was made to organize a second international cancer cachexia conference. The expectation of conducting a second conference is that it brings awareness to the many fields and accelerates research leading to better diagnosis and therapies for the cancer syndrome. Therefore, on behalf of the organizing and scientific committees, and in collaboration with the Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders (SCWD), it is a pleasure to announce the 2nd Cancer Cachexia Conference: Evolving Mechanisms and Therapies, which will take place at the exciting city of Montréal, Canada on September 26–28, 2014. We hope you take the opportunity to join us in what we anticipate will be another exciting conference leading to new insights that will bring researchers and physicians one step closer to effectively treating the cancer cachexia syndrome. For more information on the conference, the venue, and how to register, please visit: http:// cancercachexia2014.com/ Thank you and look forward to seeing you in Montreal!