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Researchers at the Ohio State University found evidence that combining the arthritis drug Etanercept might help reduce fatigue and muscle wasting which often afflicts cancer patients.

“This shows promise in helping reduce fatigue in cancer patients while increasing their ability to tolerate higher doses of chemotherapy on a more frequent basis,” said Villalona-Calero, who is also researcher at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). Patients' fatigue – the state of overwhelming and sustained exhaustion that is not relieved by rest – often hinders physicians' ability to deliver chemotherapy to them on schedule because of their weakened state.

This finding of the preliminary study was published in the April 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Read more at OSU News. Read more about Etanercept.