A controlled trial of fluoxetine and desipramine in depressed women with advanced cancer

Abstract

Both fluoxetine and desipramine were effective and well-tolerated in improving depressive symptoms and quality of life in women with advanced cancer. Fluoxetine may offer greater benefit to these patients, as evidenced by greater improvements in fluoxetine-treated patients on several quality of life measures. Our results, while meaningful, should be confirmed in a larger patients sample. However, experience from studies of antidepressant use in patients with advanced cancer has shown that intercurrent disease and treatment variables make it difficult to conduct large studies.