ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Molecular Psychiatry
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovations in Psychological Care for Oncology and Palliative Settings: A Holistic ApproachView all 21 articles
Association Between Olanzapine and Immune Function in Lung Cancer Patients with Anxiety and Depression: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Medical Records
Provisionally accepted
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC), Guangzhou, China
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Background: Anxiety and depression are prevalent in cancer patients and often impair immune function, compromising antitumor responses. Anti-anxiety medications, such as olanzapine, show promise in alleviating psychological distress, potentially enhancing immune function in patients with malignant tumors. Objective: This study aims to investigate immunological alterations in lung cancer patients with anxiety and depression and evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of olanzapine in this population. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 179 oncology patients at a single center. Of these, 38 lung cancer patients served as the control group, while 33 lung cancer patients, admitted under standard hospital conditions, received olanzapine therapy (treatment group) during hospitalization. We monitored complete blood count, blood biochemistry, and lymphocyte subsets (CD3, CD4, CD8, NK cells, B lymphocytes). Anxiety and depression were assessed using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Results: Lung cancer patients with concurrent anxiety and depression exhibited elevated CD3, CD4, CD8, NK cell counts, and CD4/CD8 ratio, alongside reduced Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) (P=0.044, 0.001, 0.022, 0.039, 0.007, 0.003). Those with both conditions had lower serum albumin compared to patients with depression alone (P=0.016) or either condition independently (P=0.015). Patients with anxiety and depression showed reduced CD3, CD8, and NK cell counts compared to those with single conditions (P=0.005, 0.037, 0.018). Baseline SAS/SDS scores showed no significant differences between groups (P=0.385, 0.603). Olanzapine treatment significantly increased CD3, CD4, and NK cell counts (P=0.001 each), reduced NLR and B lymphocytes (P<0.001, 0.036), and elevated HDL cholesterol (P=0.014) compared to controls. Post-treatment, the treatment group's SDS scores decreased from 42.64±6.32 to 37.06±8.34 (P<0.001), and SAS scores dropped from 50.48±12.94 to 43.61±13.47 (P<0.001). Conclusion: Anxiety and depression impair immune function in lung cancer patients, while olanzapine enhances CD3, CD4, and NK cell activity and reduces psychological distress, suggesting its potential as an adjunct in cancer immunotherapy. Keywords: Anxiety, Depression, Lung Cancer, Olanzapine, Tumor Immunity
Keywords: Anxiety, Depression, lung cancer, olanzapine, tumor immunity
Received: 30 Jun 2025; Accepted: 12 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Huang, Lei and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiaojun Lin, linxj@sysucc.org.cn
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