Columbus, OH: Some 15 percent of cancer patients acknowledge consuming cannabis for symptom management, according to a pair of recent surveys.
The first study, published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics, surveyed nearly 2,500 patients receiving radiation for breast cancer. Fifteen percent of subjects acknowledged having used cannabis within the past 30 days. Patients most frequently endorsed using cannabis to treat insomnia, anxiety, and pain.
The second study, published in the journal Cancer Research Communications, surveyed 934 patients diagnosed with a variety of cancers. Just over 15 percent of respondents identified as current cannabis consumers. Patients most frequently reported consuming cannabis to mitigate pain, stress, and nausea, as well as to improve sleep and appetite. Cancer patients reported “moderate-high perceived effectiveness of cannabis-product use for symptom management.”
Authors of the study concluded, “Clinicians should be aware that a substantial percentage of patients with cancer are using cannabis products and report experiencing symptom relief with its use.”
The surveys’ findings are consistent with those of other studies concluding that cancer patients often turn to cannabis to alleviate their symptoms. However, despite the growing use of marijuana among cancer patients, most oncologists report receiving no “formal training regarding medical cannabis.”
Full text of the study, “Cannabis use patterns among patients with early-stage breast cancer in a large multicenter cohort from a state with legalized adult non-medical cannabis,” appears in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics. Full text of the second study, “Marijuana and cannabidiol use prevalence and symptom management among patients with cancer,” appears in Cancer Research Communications.v