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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Neuropharmacology
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1485179
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring the Key Targets and Compounds That Manipulate Brain Neurocircuits Against Mental Disorders and Psychiatric Volume II View all 11 articles

Efficacy comparison of five antidepressants in treating anxiety and depression in cancer and non-cancer patients

Provisionally accepted
Kuan Zhao Kuan Zhao *Youyang Wang Youyang Wang Qun Liu Qun Liu Ze Yu Ze Yu Wei Feng Wei Feng *
  • Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    IIntroduction: Cancer patients have a heightened susceptibility to anxiety and depressive disorders, which significantly impact the effectiveness of cancer treatments and long-term quality of life. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of different antidepressants in cancer and non-cancer patients. Methods: A total of 610 patients diagnosed with depressive episodes and/or anxiety disorders were retrospectively included and divided into a cancer group and a non-cancer control group. Antidepressants used included escitalopram, duloxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine, and vortioxetine, combined with trazodone or not. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7 (GAD-7) scores were used to evaluate the efficacy after 4 weeks and 8 weeks of systematic antidepressants treatment. Results: Compared to the non-cancer group, the cancer group had higher proportions of females, older individuals, and patients with poor sleep quality, while reporting fewer somatic symptoms at baseline (all p<0.05). PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores in cancer patients treated with antidepressants were significantly lower than baseline at week 4 and week 8 (all p<0.05). The sertraline group demonstrated significantly less improvement in GAD-7 scores at week 4 and in both GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores at week 8 compared to the escitalopram group, while duloxetine, venlafaxine, and vortioxetine showed comparable efficacy to escitalopram. Antidepressants combined with trazodone showed significant improvement in PHQ-9 scores at week 4 compared to those without trazodone. The gynecological cancer group showed significantly more improvement in GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores at week 4 and 8 compared to breast cancer patients. Conclusions: Antidepressant treatment in cancer patients with anxiety and depression is as effective as in non-cancer patients. The efficacy of escitalopram is comparable to duloxetine, venlafaxine, and vortioxetine, all of which outperformed sertraline in cancer patients.

    Keywords: Cancer, Anxiety, Depression, Antidepressants, efficacy

    Received: 23 Aug 2024; Accepted: 14 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhao, Wang, Liu, Yu and Feng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Kuan Zhao, Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
    Wei Feng, Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.