Eli Lily's Prozac not only causes brain tumours, but also helps cancer germinate

[Guest guest]

- http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=278505 -

SCIENTISTS FIND PROZAC 'LINK' TO BRAIN TUMOURSBy Steve Connor Science Editor26 March 2002Scientists have discovered that Prozac, the antidepressant taken by millionsof people around the world, may stimulate THE GROWTH OF BRAIN TUMOURS BYBLOCKING THE BODY'S NATURAL ABILITY TO KILL CANCER CELLS.An international team of researchers led by John Gordon, professor ofimmunology at Birmingham University, found evidence to suggest CANCER CELLSCAN BE KILLED BY "POSITIVE THINKING", which could be blocked when peopletake Prozac.The study, to be published in the journal Blood next week, examined theeffects of Prozac and other antidepressants on a group of tumour cellsgrowing in a test tube. The researchers found that the drug prevented thecancer cells from committing "suicide", thereby leading to a more vigorousgrowth of the tumours.Although an increased risk of cancer has not so far been detected in Prozacpatients, the latest findings could lead to a global re-evaluation of thedrug's long-term safety.Prozac, a "happiness pill" that was first approved in the United States in1987, is widely used for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsivedisorder and bulimia nervosa. Doctors in Britain issue about three millionprescriptions for it each year and worldwide sales reached £1.8bn in 1999.The scientists tested other SSRIs such as Paxil and Celexa and found they,too, had the same effect in stimulating the growth of a type of tumour knownas Burkitt's lymphoma."An exciting property of serotonin is that it can tell some cells toself-destruct. We have found that serotonin can get inside the lymphomacells and instruct them to commit suicide, thereby providing the potentialfor an effective therapy," Professor Gordon said.The researchers found that Prozac blocked the entry of serotonin into thetest-tube tumour cells and therefore stopped them from committing suicide.That raised the question of whether Prozac can do the same in the brains ofpeople taking the drug.Further work is underway to test Prozac further in this field. Inparticular, the scientists want to develop drugs that will mimic thecancer-destroying feature of serotonin which is blocked by Prozac.A spokeswoman for Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Prozac, said that theresearch is too new for the company to make a detailed response. "It's notsomething we can directly comment on because we haven't been involved init," she said.