Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28929323›Full record

ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2018

What type and dose of antidepressants are cancer and non-cancer inpatients being prescribed: a retrospective case-control study at an Australian tertiary hospital.

Saira Sanjida, Kelly Mulvogue, Joanne Shaw, Jeremy Couper, David Kissane, Sallie-Anne Pearson, Melanie A Price, Monika Janda

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Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pharmacological interactions between psychotropic drugs and anticancer treatments: implications for clinical practice.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Saira SanjidaSchool of Public Health and Social Work, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, QLD, 4059, Australia.
Kelly MulvogueDepartment of Pharmacy, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
Joanne ShawPsycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Jeremy CouperMental Health, Justice Health, Alcohol and Drug Services, ACT Health, Canberra, Australia.
David KissaneDepartment of Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Sallie-Anne PearsonCentre for Big Data Research in Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Melanie A PricePsycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Monika JandaSchool of Public Health and Social Work, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, QLD, 4059, Australia. m.janda@qut.edu.au.
Queensland University of Technology · AUUniversity of Sydney · AUAct Health · AUMonash University · AURoyal Brisbane and Women's Hospital · AUUNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeCancer patients are often prescribed antidepressants, but little data is available about whether the type and dose are similar to prescriptions to patients with other chronic diseases. This study compared the prescription practices of antidepressants to cancer and non-cancer inpatients at a major Australian tertiary hospital and assessed side effects and potential drug-drug interactions.

methodsInpatients diagnosed with cancer within the past 12 months and prescribed antidepressants were age and gender matched to inpatients with other chronic disease conditions. Data from 75 cancer and 75 non-cancer inpatients were extracted.

resultsAntidepressants were prescribed to cancer and non-cancer patients, respectively, for the treatment of depression (n = 50 vs n = 59), other mental health problems (n = 8 vs n = 11, p < 0.67) or unspecified reasons (n = 17 vs n = 5, p < 0.02). Mirtazapine (n = 11/75) was most commonly prescribed to cancer patients followed by duloxetine (n = 9/75). Desvenlafaxine (n = 15/75) was prescribed most commonly to non-cancer inpatients, followed by mirtazapine (n = 11/75). Four cancer patients and three non-cancer patients had documented adverse side effects from antidepressants. About one-third of cancer patients (n = 23/75) and about a quarter of non-cancer patients (n = 18/75) were prescribed other medicines with the potential for drug-drug interactions with antidepressants.

conclusionsAntidepressants were prescribed for a range of indications in all patients, but more commonly for unspecified reasons among the cancer patients. Future prospective studies that monitor antidepressant prescribing to cancer patients should ascertain details of the indication, pathways to prescription and differences in type, dose or schedule depending on prescribing medical practitioner.

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsAustraliaCase-Control StudiesDrug Dosage CalculationsFemaleHumansInpatientsMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesRetrospective StudiesTertiary Care CentersAntidepressive AgentsAdverse eventsAntidepressantCancerDrug-drug interactionPrescription

Identifiers

PMID28929323
OpenAlexW2756075333

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.