Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40616690›Full record

ArticleBreast cancer research and treatment2025

Stage at diagnosis and breast cancer-specific mortality in breast cancer patients treated with antidepressants, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics: a population-based cohort study from Northern Ireland.

Sarah M Baxter, Charlene M McShane, Stuart A McIntosh, Damien Bennett, Lynne Lohfeld, Daniel R S Middleton, Gerard Savage, Deirdre Fitzpatrick, Joseph Kane, Ann McBrien and 3 more

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Article in Breast cancer research and treatment, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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. Article
  2. International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    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

13 authors.

Sarah M BaxterCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. S.Baxter@qub.ac.uk.
Charlene M McShaneCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Stuart A McIntoshThe Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Damien BennettCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Lynne LohfeldCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Daniel R S MiddletonCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Gerard SavageNorthern Ireland Cancer Registry, Belfast, UK.
Deirdre FitzpatrickNorthern Ireland Cancer Registry, Belfast, UK.
Joseph KaneCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Ann McBrienPatient Representative, Northern, Ireland, UK.
David McCallionPatient Representative, England, UK.
Anna GavinCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Chris R CardwellCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeWe examined the stage at diagnosis and breast cancer-specific mortality in a cohort of breast cancer patients prescribed medications used for mental health conditions before diagnosis.

methodsWomen newly diagnosed with breast cancer from 2011 to 2021 were identified from the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry. The primary outcome was time to breast cancer-specific mortality up to March 2023. The secondary outcomes included stage at diagnosis. We identified anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antipsychotic prescriptions dispensed in the year before breast cancer diagnosis from the Northern Ireland Enhanced Prescribing Database. Cox regression models were used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) for cancer-specific mortality by use of medications.

resultsWe included 13,846 women with breast cancer. In the year before breast cancer diagnosis, 31.5% were dispensed antidepressants, 12.7% anxiolytics, and 3.5% antipsychotics. The odds of late-stage disease presentation in breast cancer patients dispensed medications for mental health conditions was similar to breast cancer patients not dispensed these medications, but patients dispensed antipsychotics had higher odds of unknown stage. We found no difference in the hazard rate of breast cancer-specific mortality in patients dispensed, versus not dispensed, anxiolytics (aHR = 1.06 95%CI 0.93-1.20), a small increase in patients dispensed, versus not dispensed, antidepressants (aHR = 1.11 95%CI 1.01-1.23) and a moderate increase in patients dispensed, versus not dispensed, antipsychotics (aHR = 1.45 95%CI 1.17-1.81).

conclusionsBreast cancer patients dispensed medications for mental health conditions were not at higher odds of presenting with late-stage disease, but patients dispensed antidepressants, and especially antipsychotics, had worse breast cancer-specific mortality.

Indexed as

Anti-Anxiety AgentsAntidepressive AgentsAntipsychotic AgentsBreast NeoplasmsAdultAgedCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedNeoplasm StagingNorthern IrelandRegistriesAnti-Anxiety AgentsAntidepressive AgentsAntipsychotic AgentsAntidepressantsAntipsychoticsBreast cancerMental healthStage

Identifiers

PMID40616690
PMCPMC12259808

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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.