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Headlines:
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Back to Psychiatry Articles
Monday 26th March, 2006
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Use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) might inhibit the
growth of colorectal tumors according to The Lancet
Oncology. |
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Use of some antidepressants might reduce the risk of
developing colorectal cancer, according to researchers reporting in
the April issue of The Lancet Oncology. The antidepressants known as
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) "might inhibit the
growth of colorectal tumours", says lead investigator Prof Jean-Paul
Collet (Sir Mortimer B Davis Jewish General Hospital, Montreal,
Quebec, Canada).
Results from studies of antidepressant use and cancer risk have
been inconsistent and focused mainly on cancers of the breast and
ovaries. The risk associated with colorectal cancers is unknown. In
the USA, about 100 million prescriptions of antidepressants are
written every year and SSRI are the most commonly used. Animal
studies have suggested that SSRI reduce the growth of colorectal
tumours. Therefore, researchers postulated that these drugs might
reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in humans.
In the study, researchers identified 3367 cases with colorectal
cancer and matched them for age, sex, and calendar time with
controls without cancer. After adjustment for non-steroidal
antiflammatory use during the same period and SSRI use 6-10 years
before diagnosis, they found a decreased risk of cancer for those
taking a high (>6.0x10-6 mol per day) SSRI dose 0-5 years before
diagnosis.
Prof Collet states: "Further investigation is needed, with more
complete assessment of confounders such as lifestyle factors, use of
drugs, and comorbidity that might affect the occurence of colorectal
cancer".
In an accompanying Reflection and Reaction, Prof Henrik Toft
Sørensen (Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark) comments that
data from the study "provide interesting insights, but until trial
data is available, clinicians should not consider SSRI use solely
for chemopreventive purposes".
Source
Sir Mortimer B Davis Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec,
Canada.
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