The Use of Antidepressants for Physical and Psychological Symptoms in Cancer

Current Drug Targets
Syahrir ZainiSiti Hadijah Shamsudin

Abstract

Cancer patients are commonly associated with various physical and psychological symptoms. In palliative setting, the aims are to relieve those symptoms, improve quality of life, and increase medication adherence among cancer patients. Antidepressants are generally accepted for the treatment of depression among patients with or without cancer. Some other potential benefits of the antidepressants have been reported in cancer patients. This study aims to review the use of antidepressants for physical and psychological symptoms in cancer patients. Our findings showed the mixed result of positive and negative findings in various symptoms associated with cancer patients. These studies are categorised according to the hierarchy of evidence from high to low level, namely randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, case series, case reports, as well as other type of publications. The majority of antidepressants used in cancer patients seem to be beneficial for the treatment of depression, anxiety, hot flashes and other symptoms such as sexual dysfunction, fatigue, nicotine dependence, vasomotor symptoms, executive functions, sleep problems, pruritus, as well as for hypochondriasis. While fluoxetine was found to b...Continue Reading

Citations

Dec 21, 2019·Supportive Care in Cancer : Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer·Guillaume EconomosIrene J Higginson

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