Hormonal, hypothalamic and striatal responses to reduced body weight gain are attenuated in anorectic rats bearing small tumors

► The compensatory increase of dietary intake in response to weight loss is often lost in cancer. ► Hepatoma cell injection into Buffalo rats attenuated body weight gain and reduced food intake. ► Compared to weight-matched animals, tumor-bearing rats had higher leptin and lower ghrelin. ► In contrast to weight-matched animals, AgRP expression was not increased in tumor-bearing rats. ► Tumor-bearing rats had lower striatal prostaglandin D expression than weight-matched animals.