Study warns antidepressant could interfere with breast cancer drug

Women taking the antidepressant paroxetine (brand name Seroxat) alongside tamoxifen for breast cancer were more likely to die from the disease than women on other antidepressants, a study found.

The researchers, writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), said their results had "major implications for clinical practice".

Tamoxifen is taken by thousands of British women each year and works by blocking the female sex hormone oestrogen, which can fuel tumour growth.

It is generally given for up to five years following initial treatment or surgery.

The latest research was led by a team from the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto in Canada.

Up to one in four women with breast cancer can experience some degree of depression and antidepressants are also prescribed for hot flushes, they said.