Antidepressant drugs as a complementary therapeutic strategy in cancer

In the last decade, it has been increasingly recognized that antidepressant drugs may exert a range of effects, in addition to their well-documented ability to modulate neurotransmission. Although as a group they act on monoaminergic systems and receptors in different ways, a number of studies have demonstrated that at least some antidepressants might have other properties in common, including immunomodulatory, cyto/neuroprotective, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. These properties are partly related to the influence of antidepressants on glial cell function. Recently, emerging information about the possible anticancer properties of antidepressants has sparked increased interest within scientific community, and there is now evidence that these drugs affect the key cellular mechanisms of carcinogenesis. This review examines the putative cellular targets for the anticancer action of antidepressant drugs, and presents examples of the interaction between antidepressants and anticancer drugs. By reviewing the current state of research in this area, we hope to focus the attention of oncologists and researchers engaged in the study of cancer on the role that antidepressant drugs could play in the complementary therapy of cancer.