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ASCO: Paroxetine Controls Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer Survivors By Rabiya S. Tuma CHICAGO, IL -- June 3, 2003 -- Breast cancer survivors often suffer from hot flashes but generally cannot take hormone replacement therapy. Now, researchers find that paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is effective in controlling the hot flashes. These findings were presented here May 30th at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. An earlier pilot study suggested that paroxetine may have such effects. To determine whether paroxetine was more effective than placebo in controlling hot flashes and whether a 10-mg or 20-mg dose was preferable, Vered Sterns, MD, from the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C., and colleagues designed a double-blind, randomised, crossover trial. They randomised 152 women to 1 of 4 arms: paroxetine 10 mg or 20 mg daily for 4 weeks followed by 4 weeks of placebo or 4 weeks of placebo followed by 4 weeks of paroxetine. Ninety-four women completed all 9 weeks of the trial, including 1 week of baseline recordings. The median age for all arms was between 50 and 55, and was not statistically significant between the groups (P = 0.17). The percentage of postmenopausal women per arm varied between 78% and 90%, but again was not statistically significant (P = 0.17). To measure response to treatment, the women were asked to keep a hot flash diary for 1 week at baseline and then daily during the 8 weeks of the study. The women also were asked to fill out quality of life questionnaires at baseline, after 4 weeks of treatment, and again after 8 weeks. Both doses of the drug controlled hot flashes more effectively than placebo. Specifically, there was a 41% reduction in hot flash frequency associated with the 10-mg dose and a 51% reduction with the 20-mg dose, as compared with 12% and 26% during the placebo weeks (P = 0.0008 and P = 0.001). The drug also reduced the severity of the hot flashes by 48% and 58%, respectively, compared with 13% and 25% with placebo (P = 0.001 and P = 0.007, respectively). Women who were not menopausal had a more pronounced response to treatment than the women who were postmenopausal. Quality- of life assessment data are still being analyzed, Dr. Sterns said. The researchers concluded that for women who either cannot or do not wish to take hormone replacement therapy, paroxetine is a viable option for controlling hot flashes. [Study Title: Paroxetine Is an Effective Therapy for Hot Flashes: Results From a Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial. Abstract 2940] E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version