Population-based retrospective study of antidepressant use and mortality among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in Taiwan

Antidepressants are commonly used drugs with potential anticancer efficacy. A population-based cohort study of 308,938 participants with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Taiwan found no association of antidepressant use before the HCC diagnosis and mortality. However, use of antidepressants after the HCC diagnosis was associated with lower overall and cancer-specific mortality. The association was consistent across subgroups with different antidepressant classes and comorbidities. The authors conclude that this study supports an inverse association between antidepressant use after HCC diagnosis and mortality risk. Further randomized clinical trial evaluation should be considered.