SynthesisSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2020
What is the evidence for mirtazapine in treating cancer-related symptomatology? A systematic review.
Synthesis in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Essential medications in palliative care: an updated survey of Australian and New Zealand medical practitioners practising palliative care.Internal medicine journal · 2026Article
- Recent advances in understanding the role of antidepressants to manage breathlessness in supportive and palliative care.Current opinion in supportive and palliative care · 2025Review
- Antidepressants and Weight Gain: An Update on the Evidence and Clinical Implications.Current obesity reports · 2025Review
- [Improving the nutritional situation of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) through off-label medication].Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2024Article
- Mirtazapine: An Antidepressant for Treating Chronic, Refractory Nausea and Vomiting in a Patient With Metastatic Sarcoma Receiving Palliative Care: A Case Report.Clinical case reports · 2024Article
- Novel therapies for nausea and vomiting in advanced illness and supportive cancer care.Palliative care and social practice · 2024Review
- Article
- Insomnia among Cancer Patients in the Real World: Optimising Treatments and Tailored Therapies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
- Stimulatory effect of fluoxetine and desipramine, but not mirtazapine on C26 colon carcinoma hepatic metastases formation: association with cytokines.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Article
- What is the effectiveness and safety of mirtazapine versus escitalopram in alleviating cancer-associated poly-symptomatology (the MIR-P study)? A mixed-method randomized controlled trial protocol.BMC palliative care · 2022Article
- Practical aspects of palliative care & palliative radiotherapy in incurable cervical cancer.The Indian journal of medical research · 2021Review
- Article
- The Cardiovascular Effects of Newer Antidepressants in Older Adults and Those With or At High Risk for Cardiovascular Diseases.CNS drugs · 2020Review
- Comparison of Mirtazapine and Olanzapine on Nausea and Vomiting following Anthracycline-cyclophosphamide Chemotherapy Regimen in Patients with Breast Cancer.Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
purposeCancer patients often experience multiple distressing symptoms which are challenging to manage. It would therefore be helpful to find a treatment that alleviates more than one symptom, to avoid polypharmacy: mirtazapine has been used in several studies for this purpose. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of mirtazapine in alleviating one or more frequently encountered cancer-related symptoms.
methodsSystematic review of clinical trials in English or French. Eight databases were searched. Included studies assessed the effectiveness of mirtazapine in alleviating one or more frequently encountered cancer-related symptoms. Comparator and validated assessment tools were required. Studies were independently appraised by two investigators before data synthesis.
resultsThe search yielded 1898 references, from which we identified 12 relevant articles evaluating highly heterogeneous outcomes. These were two randomised-controlled (RCTs), three non-randomised controlled, and seven non-randomised non-controlled trials. In total, 392 participants were included and 185 were in RCTs. No study assessed the effectiveness of mirtazapine in alleviating symptoms at the same time, but some considered more than one symptom. Overall, the data was of poor quality, limited by small sample size and bias. However, mirtazapine showed effectiveness in treating depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, emesis and neuropathic pain. Across all studies, mirtazapine is safe to use, with drowsiness and dizziness the most common side-effects.
conclusionStudy design and small sample sizes limit the ability to interpret results. Trials to assess the impact of mirtazapine or other medicines in alleviating multiple symptoms would be valuable.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.