Antidepressants in oncology: issues and clinical perspectives

Antidepressants in oncology offer a wide range of applications in everyday supportive care while at. the same time, they are often not well known by oncologists. Several recent studies suggest that depressive disorders have a negative impact on the overall survival in oncology. The care of the depressed patient in oncology would therefore request early detection prior to adapted drug treatment and psychotherapy interventions. This requires better knowledge of antidepressants whose effectiveness has been demonstrated in severe major depression. The use of antidepressants should also he part of the therapeutic armaments in the treatment of pain and hot flushes. However. their effectiveness in improving minor depressive disorders and cancer-related fatigue has not been proved yet.