May 30, 2009 8:33 pm US/Central
Cancer Risk Rises With Use Of Some Depression Meds
ORLANDO (CBS) ―
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A new study finds that some depression medicines including Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft could decrease tamoxifen's effectiveness.
CBS/The Early Show
Breast cancer survivors could increase their risk of having the disease reappear if they combine the cancer prevention drug tamoxifen with certain antidepressants, CBS station WFOR-TV reported.
A new study finds that some depression medicines including Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft could decrease tamoxifen's effectiveness, while doubling the risk of cancer reemerging. Tamoxifen is credited for reducing the chance of a breast cancer reoccurrence by 50 percent.
Nationally, about 500,000 women take tamoxifen and many also take antidepressants to treat menopausal symptoms. That's because hormone pills are not considered safe to use in combination with the cancer prevention drug.
However, there are antidepressants that don't interfere with tamoxifen. Women are encouraged to talk with their doctors about which combination of drugs are safe.
"There are other alternatives we can consider that are safer," said Dr. Eric Winer, breast cancer chief at the Dana-Farber Cancer Center in Boston.
Medco Health Solutions Inc., an insurance benefits manager, released the study on Saturday at a cancer conference in Orlando and it is considered the largest to tackle the issue.
Breast cancer is the most common major cancer in American women. More than 182,000 new cases were diagnosed last year, and it caused nearly 41,000 deaths.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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