The Impact of Mirtazapine Treatment on Patients with Breast Cancer in Sharkia Governorate

Ali, Eman; El Gohary, Hayam; Elsebai, Eman; Sherif, Fatima M; Abo Bakira, Dina Ali; Ibrahim, Dalia H.

doi:10.21608/zumj.2023.249489.3007

The Impact of Mirtazapine Treatment on Patients with Breast Cancer in Sharkia Governorate

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig university hospital, Zagazig, Egypt

² Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University

³ Clinical oncology department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University

⁴ Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig university

10.21608/zumj.2023.249489.3007

Abstract

Background: depressive symptoms are expected consequences following a diagnosis of breast cancer and have a detrimental effect on the prognosis of the disease. This study aimed to detect the benefits of adding the antidepressant drugs to the usual supportive psychotherapy to depressed breast cancer patients.

Subjects and methods: 400 breast cancer patients were screened for depression to reach the sample size (130) of depressed cancer patients, they were assessed for the presence of depression using SCID-I. Then, 130 depressed patients who had breast cancer were randomly categorized into two groups; Group I (65) received both of antidepressant medication (Mirtazapine) and usual supportive psychotherapy by the oncology team, while the other group; Group II (65) were subjected to the usual supportive psychotherapy alone with three months follow up. (DSM-IV, SCID-I): was used to confirm a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Initial assessment and after three months the two groups were reassessed specifically at (HADS), as well as the scale for quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF).

Results: Statistically significant difference (p-value = 0.021, 0.032) between studied groups (group I and group II) as regard depression and anxiety domains of HADS respectively ,as well as the (WHOQOL) .Also a statistically significant association was revealed between depression severity and anxiety severity with total mastectomy (p=0.001, p<0.001 respectively).

Conclusion: Adding the antidepressant drugs to the usual supportive psychotherapy provided by the oncology team have better improvement of depressed breast cancer patients than using psychotherapy alone, as well as improve their quality of life.

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