Widely used antidepressant could help the immune system fight cancer
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Drug taken by 8 million people has surprising side effect
- A study found that SSRIs, a widely used type of antidepressant, could aid the immune system in fighting cancer and shrinking tumours.
- SSRIs increase serotonin levels, which not only improves mood but also enhances the cancer-fighting abilities of T cells.
- In mouse and human tumour models, SSRIs reduced tumour size by more than half and improved the efficiency of killer T cells.
- Combining SSRIs with existing cancer therapies further reduced tumour size in mice.
- Further research is needed to confirm these findings in human cancer patients taking SSRIs, researchers say.