Marijuana Smoking in Patients with Leukemia

Khwaja, Sara I.; Yacoub, Abraham Tareq; Cheema, Asima; Rihana, Nancy; Russo, Robin; Velez, Ana Paula; Nanjappa, Sowmya; Sandin, Ramón L.; Bohra, Chandrashekar; Gajanan, Ganesh; Greene, John N.

doi:10.1177/107327481602300311

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(70 reference statements)

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“…Previous case reports have documented cases of pulmonary aspergillosis associated with marijuana smoking in immunocompromised patients [[6], [7], [8]]. Here we document what we believe is the first known case of pulmonary mucormycosis associated with medical marijuana use.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Pulmonary mucormycosis associated with medical marijuana use

Stone

Henkle

Prakash

2019

Respiratory Medicine Case Reports

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A 66-year-old man with diabetes presented to the hospital with a two-month history of dyspnea, cough, rust-colored sputum, night sweats and 20 pound weight loss. He had begun smoking medical marijuana 3 months earlier. CT of the chest showed multiple bilateral large ground glass opacities with surrounding consolidation. Infectious workup was negative. BAL was non-diagnostic. He was treated with broad spectrum antibiotics without improvement. VATS was performed and cultured lung tissue grew Rhizopus species. He was started on intravenous liposomal amphotericin B and micafungin and then transitioned to oral posaconazole after two weeks. Repeat CT two months later showed stable size of the cavities. One month later he died of massive pulmonary hemorrhage. Here we document what we believe is the first known case of pulmonary mucormycosis associated with medical marijuana use.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Pulmonary mucormycosis associated with medical marijuana use

Stone

Henkle

Prakash

2019

Respiratory Medicine Case Reports

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“…Prior studies using synthetic THC analogues [9][10][11] have not incorporated the whole cannabis plant and, therefore, cannot evaluate other substances, such as terpenes and flavonoids, that may enhance or provide additional therapeutic properties. 49 At the same time, the numerous potential risks of cannabis in this population, including drug-drug interactions, 17,50 infections, 16,51-54 sinopulmonary side effects, 18,[54][55][56] neuropsychiatric sequelae, 19,57 and unintended overdoses/poisonings, [58][59][60][61] argue for rigorous safety studies. Currently, however, the US government continues to classify cannabis as a schedule I drug, and this restricts federal funding for safety studies and those assessing its therapeutic use in this population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cannabis use among patients at a comprehensive cancer center in a state with legalized medicinal and recreational use

Pergam

Woodfield

Lee

et al. 2017

Cancer

220

188

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BACKGROUNDCannabis is purported to alleviate symptoms related to cancer treatment, although the patterns of use among cancer patients are not well known. This study was designed to determine the prevalence and methods of use among cancer patients, the perceived benefits, and the sources of information in a state with legalized cannabis.METHODSA cross‐sectional, anonymous survey of adult cancer patients was performed at a National Cancer Institute–designated cancer center in Washington State. Random urine samples for tetrahydrocannabinol provided survey validation.RESULTSNine hundred twenty‐six of 2737 eligible patients (34%) completed the survey, and the median age was 58 years (interquartile range [IQR], 46‐66 years). Most had a strong interest in learning about cannabis during treatment (6 on a 1‐10 scale; IQR, 3‐10) and wanted information from cancer providers (677 of 911 [74%]). Previous use was common (607 of 926 [66%]); 24% (222 of 926) used cannabis in the last year, and 21% (192 of 926) used cannabis in the last month. Random urine samples found similar percentages of users who reported weekly use (27 of 193 [14%] vs 164 of 926 [18%]). Active users inhaled (153 of 220 [70%]) or consumed edibles (154 of 220 [70%]); 89 (40%) used both modalities. Cannabis was used primarily for physical (165 of 219 [75%]) and neuropsychiatric symptoms (139 of 219 [63%]). Legalization significantly increased the likelihood of use in more than half of the respondents.CONCLUSIONSThis study of cancer patients in a state with legalized cannabis found high rates of active use across broad subgroups, and legalization was reported to be important in patients' decision to use. Cancer patients desire but are not receiving information about cannabis use during their treatment from oncology providers. Cancer 2017;123:4488‐97. © 2017 The Authors. Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Cancer Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non‐commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

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“…However, several lung complications of marijuana smoking have been reported, and short-term exposure has been correlated to dyspnea, bronchitis, coughing, pneumothorax, apical lung bullae, and pneumomediastinum [28][29][30][31][32] (Table 1). Regarding the adverse effects on lungs in hematological patients, Khwaja et al described two men with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with miliary nodular lung configurations due to relevant marijuana abuse [39]. They also described two subjects with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) who had a history of smoking marijuana and then presented lung opacities consistent with mold infection.…”

Section: Adverse Effects Of Marijuana Intake: Cbs and Solid Cancersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pros and Cons of the Cannabinoid System in Cancer: Focus on Hematological Malignancies

et al. 2021

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The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a composite cell-signaling system that allows endogenous cannabinoid ligands to control cell functions through the interaction with cannabinoid receptors. Modifications of the ECS might contribute to the pathogenesis of different diseases, including cancers. However, the use of these compounds as antitumor agents remains debatable. Pre-clinical experimental studies have shown that cannabinoids (CBs) might be effective for the treatment of hematological malignancies, such as leukemia and lymphoma. Specifically, CBs may activate programmed cell death mechanisms, thus blocking cancer cell growth, and may modulate both autophagy and angiogenesis. Therefore, CBs may have significant anti-tumor effects in hematologic diseases and may synergistically act with chemotherapeutic agents, possibly also reducing chemoresistance. Moreover, targeting ECS might be considered as a novel approach for the management of graft versus host disease, thus reducing some symptoms such as anorexia, cachexia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and neuropathic pain. The aim of the present review is to collect the state of the art of CBs effects on hematological tumors, thus focusing on the essential topics that might be useful before moving into the clinical practice.

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Marijuana Smoking in Patients with Leukemia

Cited by 5 publications

References 60 publications

Pulmonary mucormycosis associated with medical marijuana use

Pulmonary mucormycosis associated with medical marijuana use

Cannabis use among patients at a comprehensive cancer center in a state with legalized medicinal and recreational use

Pros and Cons of the Cannabinoid System in Cancer: Focus on Hematological Malignancies

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