Anti-depressants not for cancer
December 1, 2006
ANTI-depressants taken by thousands of Australians with advanced cancer do nothing to improve quality of life, a world-first Australian study has concluded.
Cancer specialists say such drugs are effective for the quarter of advanced cancer patients that have full-blown clinical depression.
But they don’t help the majority who are often prescribed them for relief from symptoms of depression, anxiety and fatigue, but no clinical diagnosis.
“Our findings suggest that if you’ve got these symptoms but not major depression you’re better off doing something other than taking a pill,'’ said specialist Martin Stockler, from the University of Sydney.
The surprise findings, presented today at a cancer congress in Melbourne, are drawn from a nationwide trial of 189 people in the late stages of cancer but without major depression.
Scientists used the common select serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) Zoloft, known generically as sertraline, but they believe the results are applicable equally to other anti-depressants.
“Half the trial participants took sertraline…while the other half took a placebo that looked the same but had no sertraline in it,'’ Prof Stockler said.
The team was disappointed to find little or no improvements in levels of depression, anxiety, fatigue, or well-being.
“Basically, benefits were minimal and insufficient to warrant its use,'’ he said.
About 100,000 Australians die of cancer every year, with well over half falling into the category examined by researchers.
Their symptoms are troublesome but don’t warrant a clinical diagnosis of depression or anti-depressant treatment.
However, these are widely prescribed anyway, by doctors keen to help ease their patients’ burden.
Prof Stockler said the findings, presented to the annual scientific meeting of the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA), suggest such people should no longer be prescribed anti-depressants.
“Doctors give them out because they want to help, but they don’t work,'’ he said.
“We really ought to be looking instead at testing other interventions, like exercise, counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy and support groups … That could be more promising.'’
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