Retrospective review of serotonergic medication tolerability in patients with neuroendocrine tumors with biochemically proven carcinoid syndrome.

Shi DD, Yuppa DP, Dutton T, et al.

Cancer. 2017 Jul 15;123(14):2735-2742

A retrospective review of patients with metastatic carcinoid tumours and elevated serotonin levels who received serotonergic antidepressants was performed to evaluate the effect of serotonergic antidepressants on the carcinoid syndrome. 52 patients were identified who received a total of 73 courses of serotonergic antidepressants, most commonly citalopram, followed by trazodone and sertraline. The median duration of treatment with serotonergic drugs was 4.8 months, with 38% of patients taking them for more than 6 months. No apparent adverse interaction of the serotonergic antidepressants on the carcinoid syndrome was reported in 45 patients (62%); 7 (10%) were categorized as having an unlikely adverse interaction, and 6 (8%) as having a likely adverse interaction; common symptoms were flushing and diarrhoea. No patients developed a carcinoid crisis requiring emergency care or hospitalisation.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.30633/abstract

Composed by Elaine Boland.