The Relationship between Antipsychotic Medications and Cancer: A Review Article

Background: Cancer is a global problem and causes lots of deaths across the world. Due to the high cost of manufacturing and developing new drugs, there is more willingness to use medications that may have anti-neoplastic effects. Objectives: Antipsychotic drugs have a long history of clinical use. Currently, there are several reports about the anticancer effects of antipsychotic drugs in different types of malignancies. Methods: In this study, the effects and mechanisms of several antipsychotic drugs on different types of cancer were investigated. The current investigations show that some antipsychotic drugs might inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells and some others can be used to ease the symptoms caused by cancer. Results: The anticancer effects of all antipsychotic drugs haven’t been thoroughly investigated and it is reported that few drugs may reverse the effects and increase the risk of neoplasm. Conclusions: Although some studies have revealed that antipsychotic drugs might beneficially affect cancer cells, high quality clinical trials are still needed to confirm these results.