The Use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) Antidepressants in the Treatment of Lung Cancer

Sep 23, 2026

Lung cancer is among the most common malignancies globally, often linked to poor prognosis, and remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in both genders. Treatment resistance, tumor heterogeneity, and invasive behavior make lung cancer difficult to control. Drug repurposing offers a faster, more economical route by assigning existing drugs to new uses. Because depression is prevalent in patients with lung cancer, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used for depression were assessed for potential roles in lung cancer therapy. The study evaluates SSRI efficacy alone and in combination with anticancer agents, including their mechanisms of action, aiming to reveal new therapeutic options through repurposing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Lung cancer epidemiology and risk factors

Lung cancer subtypes and genetic features

Review The Use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) Antidepressants in the Treatment of Lung Cancer Serap Özkaya Gül and Esra Aydemir * Academic Editor: Francesca Bersani Received: 28 March 2025 Revised: 30 April 2025 Accepted: 7 May 2025 Published: 9 May 2025 Citation: Özkaya Gül, S.; Aydemir, E. The Use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) Antidepressants in the Treatment of Lung Cancer. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 4546. [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)ijms26104546 Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://creativecommons.org/](https://creativecommons.org/)[ ](https://creativecommons.org/)[licenses/by/4.0/](licenses/by/4.0/)) . Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Akdeniz University, Antalya TR-07058, Turkey; [202151006001@ogr.akdeniz.edu.tr](202151006001@ogr.akdeniz.edu.tr) * Correspondence: [esra@akdeniz.edu.tr](esra@akdeniz.edu.tr) Abstract: Lung cancer is among the most common malignancies globally, is frequently associated with a poor prognosis, and is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in both genders. Resistance to treatment, heterogeneity, and invasiveness make lung cancer one of the most challenging tumors to combat. Drug repurposing is considered an advantageous strategy for expediting and economizing drug discovery, as it involves rebranding an existing drug for a new therapeutic use. Since depression is a prevalent psychiatric illness among individuals diagnosed with lung cancer, various selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used for the treatment of depression were examined for their possible use in lung cancer treatment as repurposed drugs. Herein, we evaluated the efficacy of SSRIs, both alone and in combination with various anticancer agents, in the treatment of lung cancer along with their mechanisms of action. The innovative approach of repurposing SSRIs offers hope by simplifying the drug discovery process and potentially revealing new therapeutic options for lung cancer. Exploring SSRIs’ effects on lung cancer treatment may unlock unexpected avenues for combating this aggressive disease. Keywords: anticancer; antidepressant; cancer; cytotoxicity; drug repurposing; SSRI 1. Introduction Lung cancer is among the most prevalent cancers, often with poor prognosis worldwide, exhibiting a high morbidity and mortality rate [1] . According to the most recent epidemiological data, it is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality among both men and women [2] . GLOBOCAN reported around 2.2 million new lung cancer cases (11.4%) and nearly 1.8 million lung cancer deaths (18.0%) in 2020 [3] . The primary risk factors associated with the development of lung cancer include smoking tobacco and using tobacco products, in addition to environmental exposures such as airborne pollutants, biomass fuels, arsenic, radon, industrial carcinogens, and epigenetic alterations [2,4] . The incidence and mortality trends of lung cancer differ substantially among countries, mostly due to varying risk factors, including smoking rates, environmental exposure, and dietary habits [5] . Based on the histology of the cancer cells, lung cancer can be classified into two subtypes: small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) . Nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most prevalent subtype; it accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases, and SCLC accounts for 15% . NSCLC is highly heterogeneous and has various histological subtypes, including adenocarcinoma (ADC), squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), and large-cell carcinoma (LCC) [1,6,7] . NSCLC primarily originates in the epithelial lining of the lung and is more challenging to treat with chemotherapy than SCLC. Patients afflicted with this par

FAQs

Why is drug repurposing relevant for lung cancer treatment in this article?

Drug repurposing reuses existing medications for new therapeutic purposes, potentially speeding up and reducing the cost of drug discovery. The article frames this as a promising strategy for lung cancer options.

What is the connection between depression and the use of SSRIs for lung cancer?

Depression is described as a prevalent psychiatric illness among individuals diagnosed with lung cancer. Therefore, SSRIs used for depression are examined here for possible use in lung cancer treatment as repurposed drugs.

How does the article evaluate SSRIs for lung cancer therapy?

It evaluates the efficacy of SSRIs both alone and in combination with anticancer agents, and discusses the mechanisms of action underlying their potential effects.

Sep 23, 2026

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