Beyond Mood: How Research is Revealing Antidepressant Medication Can Have the Power to Combat Cancer
Time, research, and technology can surprise us.
Serotonin and Cancer
I found this article to be fascinating; it seemed incredible after all these years of working with people on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for depression that this medicine could have the power to combat cancer. This finding reinforces the idea that science, general knowledge, and spirituality continue to evolve.
According to Yang. (May 21, 2025) SSRIs have been shown to boost T cell function. T cells are a type of immune cell that can kill cancer cells. Reseachers have discovered that SSRIs can reduce tumor size and suppress tumor growth in both mice and human tumors.
Yang (May 21, 2025) goes on to discuss that serotonin not only is conducive to treating depression but also helps digestion, metabolism, and immune activity. The research showed that serotonin treatment reduced tumour size by 50%. Another incredible finding involved combining serotonin with existing cancer treatments.
According to Yang (May 21, 2025), combining SSRIs with anti-PD-1 antibodies, a common immune checkpoint blockade tested on mice with melanoma and colon cancer, showed a remarkable effect. The combination not only further reduced the tumors but also, in some cases, caused total remission.
Patients are not given enough information.
During the years of treating thousands of people with depression and anxiety, many have been offered antidepressant medication to treat depression and anxiety. Often, there have been no explanations that certain SSRIs not only treat depression but also can do well with anxiety. Medicines can work differently in individual patients. Additionally, patients have not been provided with up-to-date information on how these medicines work. Some patients prefer not to take medicine, but some people do not want to take it due to a lack of basic understanding.
Definitions of Hypothesis, Theory, and Fact
Over the last 50 years, numerous ideas, theories about disease causes, and technological advancements have emerged. Many things that seemed like facts to me at the time were indeed facts, but with the advancement of research technology and general knowledge, my perspective on them has evolved, and I no longer consider them as such.
. According to the National Center for Science Education(March 16, 2016), a hypothesis is a tentative idea or statement that leads to deductions. Deductions are ideas that are based on broad facts and require additional research. A point in science is an observable, measurable concept that has been repeatedly confirmed and accepted as accurate. However, in science, nothing is ever final, and more information can be gained and concepts can evolve.
References
Bauer, M.W. (2022). Hypothesis. In: Glăveanu, V.P. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90913-0_193
Crawford,(2021)Good Science Changes: That’s a Good Thing.Michigan Public Health.https://sph.umich.edu/findings/spring-2021/good-science-changes-thats-a-good-thing.html
Olson, S.(2004 Evolution in Hawaii: A Supplement to Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2004. Science Produces Explanations That Can Be Tested Using Empirical Evidence.
National Center for Science Education(March 16, 2016)Definitions of Fact, Theory, and Law in Scientific Workhttps://ncse.ngo/definitions-fact-theory-and-law-scientific-work
Yang. (May 21, 2025)Common antidepressants could help the immune system fight cancer, UCLA study finds. UCLA Healthttps://www.uclahealth.org/news/release/common-antidepressants-could-help-immune-system-fight-cancer#:~:text=Selective%20serotonin%20reuptake%20inhibitors