The connection to inflammation. Cancer is a viral disease of the stem cells. Virus infects an organ. Which organ will be infected depends on viral tropism (a respiratory virus does not infect the liver but only the respiration). A strong host will setup an acute inflammation and wipe up the virus quickly. A weak one will tolerate a chronic inflammation for long time. Inside the cell there are only two possibilities: either the virus kills the cell and produces more virons or parts of it are incorporated in its DNA and the cell is protected from similar viruses. When stem cells are hit, the organism triggers another protect mechanism, namely tumor. The adult organism lost its ability to generate stem cells. Stem cells are assumed (see links below), among many other tasks to secrete a substance that prevents cachexia. For more info please see on you-tube a presentations by Gershom Zajicek M.D, Cancer is a Triad [Tumor, Para-neoplasia, Cachexia], A New Cancer Hypothesis Update 2015 and many others.