Cancer: research and patient questions

Researchers investigated what cancer survivors think about using cannabis and whether they worry about being judged for it. They interviewed and surveyed adults who had finished cancer treatments, comparing those who used cannabis to manage symptoms with those who did not.

Researchers studied whether patients with digestive system cancers who received prescriptions for Food and Drug Administration-approved cannabis medications during early chemotherapy reduced their reliance on opioid pain medications. They analyzed electronic health records from a large national network of health systems covering more than one hundred forty thousand patients over a multi-year period.

This review pooled results from 98 studies that looked at whether cannabis-based medicines help people with cancer manage symptoms such as pain, worry, poor appetite, sickness and sleep problems. The studies involved many thousands of adults and some children, and tested many different products, doses and ways of taking them.

Clinicians should consider the use of cannabis and cannabinoids as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for cancer patients, focusing on symptom management and patient quality of life.

A randomised trial in adults who were still being sick during chemotherapy despite already taking the standard anti-sickness medicines.

Researchers followed adults with advanced cancer receiving palliative care to see if a daily plant oil containing equal parts of active cannabis compounds could lower their overall distress. Participants took either the cannabis oil or an identical-looking inactive oil, starting with low amounts and adjusting upwards over four weeks while keeping their usual medical care.