Houston, Texas: Nearly half of US cancer survivors report having used cannabis, according to survey data published in the journal Cancers.
Investigators affiliated with the University of Texas, Anderson Cancer Center and John Hopkins University surveyed 1,886 cancer survivors from 41 states.
Just under half (48 percent) of respondents acknowledged having experience with cannabis. Approximately one-third of them reported using cannabis following their cancer diagnosis. Patients were most likely to report inhaling cannabis flower or consuming oil extracts.
“Many cancer survivors use cannabis as a palliative while undergoing cancer treatment, and this usage tends to rise following cancer diagnosis,” the study’s authors reported. “This suggests that cancer survivors often turn to cannabis to cope with their diagnosis or manage treatment-related symptoms.”
They concluded: “Cannabis use is widespread among cancer patients; therefore, regulatory guidance is even more critical at this time. As cannabis becomes more accessible for medicinal and recreational use, it is important to strengthen the regulatory framework for its use to minimize the untoward effects of cannabis use in cancer management.”
Prior surveys find that cancer patients commonly report consuming cannabis to aid with sleep and to “improve their ability to cope with their illness.” Nonetheless, many healthcare providers acknowledge that they are unprepared to discuss cannabis therapy with cancer patients.
Full text of the study, “Cannabis use among cancer survivors: Use pattern, product type, and timing of use,” appears in Cancers.