Ostuzzi, G., Matcham, F., Dauchy, S., Barbui, C., & Hotopf, M. (2015). Antidepressants for the treatment of depression in people with cancer. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 6, CD011006.
STUDY PURPOSE: Assess effects of antidepressants among people with cancer for treatment of depression
There was no differences between antidepressants as a class and placebo in five RCTs, no difference between groups comparing different antidepressants, and no difference in drop-out rates between placebo and antidepressants
The findings did not provide strong evidence for efficacy of antidepressants.
Study quality was generally low with unclear risk of bias in multiple aspects of the study design and implementation. In five studies, risk of bias due to conflict of interest was questionable. There was no difference found between SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants. Studies included were all conducted prior to 2009.
This particular analysis did not demonstrate efficacy of antidepressants in patients with cancer for management of depressive symptoms. There were multiple limitations in this analysis due to the low quality of the studies included.