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World J Psychiatry. Jul 19, 2026; 16(7): 116335
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.116335
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.116335
Antidepressant-opioid combination for advanced cancer pain-depression comorbidity: Analysis of efficacy and associated determinants
Jie Hou, Jun Li, Zhi-Ying Hao, Yun-E Li, Rui-Xue Zhang, Jiang-Kai Gong, Wen-Jing Zhang, Department of Pharmacy, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital, Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030013, Shanxi Province, China
Author contributions: Hou J designed the research and wrote the first manuscript; Hou J, Li J, Hao ZY, Li YE, Zhang RX, and Gong JK contributed to conceiving the research and analyzing data; Hou J and Zhang WJ conducted the analysis and provided guidance for the research; all authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by Scientific Research Project Plan of Shanxi Provincial Health Commission, No. 2025ZD111.
Institutional review board statement: This retrospective study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital.
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Wen-Jing Zhang, MD, Department of Pharmacy, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital, Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, No. 3 Zhigongxincun Street, Xinghualing District, Taiyuan 030013, Shanxi Province, China. sxszlyyzwj@163.com
Received: January 9, 2026
Revised: February 26, 2026
Accepted: April 9, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 170 Days and 21.4 Hours
Revised: February 26, 2026
Accepted: April 9, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 170 Days and 21.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: To alleviate cancer pain and depression in patients with advanced cancer, this study evaluates the efficacy and determinants of antidepressants (duloxetine) plus opioids (oxycodone extended-release tablets) in treating advanced cancer pain-depression comorbidity. Through several analyses and verifications, the proposed combination regimen was found to effectively relieve pain, mitigate negative emotions, reduce oxycodone dependence, increase β-endorphin levels, and improve patients’ sleep quality and overall quality of life.