Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the included studies.
| Study | Dx | Sample Size | Age (Years) | Female | Depression Severity | Dosing | Psychiatric Comorbidities | Study Design | Dropout | Serious AE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grob 2011 | Cancer | 12 | 36–58 | 91.6% | Mild; BDI a, active arm, 16.1; placebo arm, 14.5 | Oral single dose, 0.20 mg/kg | Yes. Specific psychiatric disorders were not mentioned | Double-blind RCT | 0 | No |
| Carhart-Haris 2016 | MDD (TRD) | 12 | 42.7 (10.2) | 50% | Severe; BDI, 33.7 | Oral two doses, 10 mg and 25 mg, 7 days apart | Excluding psychotic disorder, serious suicide attempts, mania, and drug or alcohol dependence | Open-label single-arm trial | 0 | No |
| Griffiths 2016 | Cancer | 56 | 56.3 (10.0) | 49.0% | Mild; BDI, active arm, 17.7; placebo arm, 18.4 | Oral single dose, 22 or 30 mg | All participants had a psychiatric disorder, including adjustment disorder, dysthymia, GAD, or MDD | Double-blind RCT | 5 | No |
| Ross 2016 | Cancer | 31 | 56.3 (12.9) | 62.1% | Mild; BDI, active arm, 15.0; placebo arm, 16.8 | Oral single dose, 0.3 mg/kg | Adjustment disorder and GAD | Double-blind RCT | 3 | No |
| Carhart-Haris 2018 | MDD (TRD) | 20 | 44.0 (11.0) | 30% | Severe; BDI, 34.5 | Oral two doses, 10 mg and 25 mg, 7 days apart | Excluding psychotic disorder, serious suicide attempts, mania, and drug or alcohol dependence | Open-label single-arm trial | 1 | No |
| Lyons 2018 | MDD (TRD) | 15 | 45.4 (11.2) | 26% | Severe; BDI, 34.3 | Oral two doses, 10 mg and 25 mg, 7 days apart | Unavailable | Open-label single-arm trial | 0 | No |
| Roseman 2018 | MDD (TRD) | 20 | 44.7 (10.9) | 30% | Severe; BDI, 33.7 | Oral two doses, 10 mg and 25 mg, 7 days apart | Excluding psychotic disorder, serious suicide attempts, mania, and drug or alcohol dependence | Open-label single-arm trial | 0 | No |
| Agin-Liebes 2020 | Cancer | 15 | 53 (13.5) | 60.0% | Mild; BDI, 14.1 | Oral single dose, 0.3 mg/kg | Adjustment disorder and GAD | Post-RCT follow-up study | 1 | No |
| Anderson 2020 | HIV/Cancer | 18 | 59.2 (4.4) | 0.0% | Moderate; CESD b, 20.1 | Oral single dose, 0.30-0.36 mg/kg | Mood disorder, anxiety disorder, and insomnia | Open-label single-arm trial | 0 | No |
| Davis 2020 | MDD | 27 | 39.8 (12.2) | 60% | Severe, BDI, active arm, 31.9; placebo arm, 34.5 | Oral two doses, 20 mg and 30 mg, 1.6 weeks apart | Excluding psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, and drug or alcohol dependence | RCT, blinded rater | 3 | No |
Abbreviation: AE, adverse event; BDI, Beck’s depression inventory; Dx, diagnosis; CESD, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-Revised; GAD, generalized anxiety disorder; MDD, major depressive disorder; RCT, randomized controlled trial; TRD, treatment-resistant depression. a Definition of depression severity for BDI: minimal, 0–13; mild, 14–19; moderate, 20–28; severe, 29–63. b Definition of depression severity for CESD: 0–9; mild, 10–15; moderate, 16–24; severe, ≥25.