Treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC) is arduous and debilitating. As a result, up to 40% of patients develop depression which is rarely recognized or treated. Untreated depression in cancer patients lengthens hospital stays, and reduces adherence with medical treatment, quality of life, and survival. Patients with HNC typically develop depression within the first 3 months of their diagnosis. Developing depression can lead to interruptions or delays in cancer treatment which in turn may diminish the overall prognosis. Depression can also lead to suicide;patients with cancers of the larynx and tongue account for 2 of the 3 highest suicide rates in cancer patients. We are proposing a groundbreaking approach to the problem of depression in HNC. Patients with HNC have the greatest risk for depression in the several months after diagnosis and during treatment for their cancer. We seek to prevent major depression before it can develop by initiating prophylactic treatment with the antidepressant citalopram soon after the diagnosis of HNC is made, thus potentially avoiding many serious sequelae including treatment interruption or delays. Depression also has an enormous impact on quality of life in patients with HNC. Additionally, an overwhelming majority of HNC patients use alcohol and tobacco, and despite adverse effects on prognosis, it is often difficult for them to decrease use of these substances. We will therefore evaluate whether prophylactic use of citalopram can preserve quality of life during and after treatment for HNC and reduce alcohol and tobacco use by these patients. We are therefore proposing a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the prophylactic utility of the antidepressant citalopram in nondepressed patients who are about to begin treatment for newly diagnosed or recurrent head and neck cancer. We will evaluate whether such prophylactic treatment can significantly reduce the development of major depression, improve adherence to cancer treatment, preserve quality of life and reduce tobacco and alcohol use. This proposal has considerable relevance to public health in that it not only tests whether depression can be prevented in patients with HNC during treatment but also examines whether this intervention can also improve timely completion of the cancer therapy. Additionally, we will examine whether the quality of life of such patients can be better preserved during treatment and whether alcohol and tobacco use can be diminished. If successful, this approach may be applicable to other medical illnesses that have high rates of comorbid depression.
| Lydiatt, William M; Bessette, Diane; Schmid, Kendra K et al. (2013) Prevention of depression with escitalopram in patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 139:678-86 |
