Influence of low-dose esketamine on postoperative depressive symptoms in patients with breast cancer (EASE): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
BMJ Open September 25, 2023 Cen Chen, Qingfeng Wei, Jiajia Zhu et al. 7 citations
A planned trial will test whether a low dose of the anesthetic esketamine, given before and during surgery, reduces depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer who are undergoing radical mastectomy. The study will randomly assign 108 women with mild-to-severe depression to receive either esketamine or a saline placebo. The main outcome is the proportion of patients whose depressive symptoms improve by the third day after surgery. The study also will measure changes in a brain protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor and in resting-state brain connectivity, aiming to uncover how esketamine might work.