Antidepressants plus blood-thinners slow down brain cancer

24. EPFL scientists have found that combining antidepressants with anticoagulants slows down brain tumors (gliomas) in mice. Gliomas are aggressive brain tumors arising from the brain's supporting glial cells. They account for about a third of all brain tumors, and hold the highest incidence and mortality rate among primary brain cancer patients, creating an urgent need for effective treatments. Certain antidepressants already in the market could lower the risk of gliomas, but there has been little evidence to support their use in patients. Now, scientists at EPFL have discovered that tricyclic antidepressants combined with anticoagulant drugs can actually slow down gliomas by causing the cancer cells to eat themselves. The study is published in Cancer Cell.