Prostate cancer and antidepressants: A nationwide population-based nested case-control study

Background We aimed to evaluate the association between antidepressant and prostate cancer by comparing exposures to antidepressants between those with and without prostate cancer. Methods A nationwide insurance claims database was used to identify our case subjects. Age- and gender-matched controls were selected at a 1:5 ratio. Conditional logistic regression model was used. Results 11,515 patients with prostate cancer were identified and matched with 55,373 controls. No increased associations between prostate cancer and most classes of antidepressants were found. However, a positive association with adjusted odds ratios ranged from 1.20 to 1.35 was noted in different doses of imipramine. Nevertheless, this association became statistically insignificant at higher cumulative doses. Conclusions Our results indicate that there is no association between mechanistically dissimilar antidepressants and increased hazard for prostate cancer.