Attitudes and Beliefs About Medical Usefulness and Legalization of Marijuana among Cancer Patients in a Legalized and a Nonlegalized State

Tanco, Kimberson; Dumlao, Donato; Kreis, Rebecca; Nguyen, Kristy; Dibaj, Seyedeh; Liu, Diane; Marupakula, Vidyasagargoud; Shaikh, Ayesha; Bruera, Éduardo

doi:10.1089/jpm.2019.0218

Cited by 25 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Cannabis has been shown to demonstrate varying levels of benefit in symptom relief 7,8 among cancer patients actively undergoing treatment, including that from nausea and vomiting, 9,10 insomnia, anxiety, and depression, 6 and loss of appetite, 11 and cachexia 12 . Cannabis may also help to enhance relaxation, decrease stress, and improve quality of life, though existing evidence is mixed 13‐15 . Although research is increasing in this area, there remains many unanswered questions ranging from the prevalence of cannabis use among cancer survivors to questions about the reasons for use and when it is being used during the cancer journey.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cannabis use among cancer survivors in the United States: Analysis of a nationally representative sample

Elizabeth

Ksinan

Kim

et al. 2021

Cancer

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Research on cannabis use among those with a history of cancer is limited. Methods Prevalence of past‐year cannabis use among individuals with and without a cancer history and predictors of use within these 2 groups were determined using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study, a nationally representative, longitudinal survey conducted in the United States (waves 1‐4; 2013‐2018). Discrete time survival analyses were used to estimate baseline (wave 1) predictors (physical health status, mental health status, pain, and demographic variables) on past‐year engagement with cannabis within individuals who reported a cancer diagnosis at wave 1 (n = 1022) and individuals who reported never having cancer at any wave (n = 19,702). Results At the most recent survey, 8% of cancer survivors reported past‐year cannabis use, compared with 15% of those without a cancer history. Across 4 time points, an estimated 3.8% of cancer survivors engaged with cannabis, as compared to 6.5% of those without a cancer history. Across both groups, older age and having health insurance were associated with lower likelihood of engaging in cannabis use, whereas greater levels of pain were associated with higher likelihood of engaging in cannabis use. Among those without a cancer history, being female, White, and having better mental health status were associated with lower likelihood of engaging in cannabis use. Conclusions Although cannabis use prevalence is lower among cancer survivors, the reasons for use are not markedly different from those without a cancer history. Continued monitoring of use, reasons for use, and harms or benefits is warranted. Lay Summary Results from this study, which uses data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, indicate that cannabis use is generally increasing across cancer survivors and those without a history of cancer. Cancer survivors are using cannabis at slightly lower rates than those without a history of cancer. Factors related to pain seem to be more prevalent in cancer populations relative to the general population, and could be contributing to cannabis use within cancer survivor populations.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cannabis use among cancer survivors in the United States: Analysis of a nationally representative sample

Elizabeth

Ksinan

Kim

et al. 2021

Cancer

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Analysis of the results highlighted that the use of medical cannabis by people diagnosed with cancer can be influenced by beliefs, be it their own, their loved ones’ or those of the healthcare providers with whom they are in contact. Indeed, some use medical cannabis because they consider there to be enough evidence of the effectiveness of such substances [ 60 ], because they have heard others report benefits [ 61 ], or feel cannabis can mitigate certain symptoms [ 62 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Routes of administration, reasons for use, and approved indications of medical cannabis in oncology: a scoping review

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Some patients diagnosed with cancer use medical cannabis to self-manage undesirable symptoms, including nausea and pain. To improve patient safety and oncological care quality, the routes of administration for use of medical cannabis, patients’ reasons, and prescribed indications must be better understood. Methods Based on the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, a scoping review was conducted to map the current evidence regarding the use of medical cannabis in oncological settings based on the experiences of patients diagnosed with cancer and their healthcare providers. A search strategy was developed with a scientific librarian which included five databases (CINAHL, Web of Science, Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO) and two grey literature sources (Google Scholar and ProQuest). The inclusion criteria were: 1) population: adults aged 18 and over diagnosed with cancer; 2) phenomena of interest: reasons for cannabis use and/or the prescribed indications for medical cannabis; 3) context: oncological setting. French- or English-language primary empirical studies, knowledge syntheses, and grey literature published between 2000 and 2021 were included. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers and subjected to a thematic analysis. A narrative description approach was used to synthesize and present the findings. Results We identified 5,283 publications, of which 163 met the eligibility criteria. Two main reasons for medical cannabis use emerged from the thematic analysis: limiting the impacts of cancer and its side effects; and staying connected to others. Our results also indicated that medical cannabis is mostly used for three approved indications: to manage refractory nausea and vomiting, to complement pain management, and to improve appetite and food intake. We highlighted 11 routes of administration for medical cannabis, with oils and oral solutions the most frequently reported. Conclusion Future studies should consider the multiple routes of administration for medical cannabis, such as inhalation and edibles. Our review highlights that learning opportunities would support the development of healthcare providers’ knowledge and skills in assessing the needs and preferences of patients diagnosed with cancer who use medical cannabis.

show abstract

“…25 Cannabis or its derivatives have been widely used by patients with advanced cancer to help with cancer symptoms and treat side effects 24 and patients affirm its use for pain, anxiety, depression, and significantly prefer it over antianxiety medications. 26 It is also reported as useful for nausea, sleep, appetite stimulation, 26 and even at one-month follow-up, most parameters have been shown to improve significantly from baseline, including pain intensity, affective and sensory pain, sleep quality and duration, cancer distress, and both physical and psychological symptom burden. 11 We found no inter-group differences in pain ratings between the second-and fourth-month follow-ups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of effects of medicinal cannabis or standard palliative care on quality of life of patients with cholangiocarcinoma in Northeast Thailand

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) has a poor prognosis and is a major cause of mortality and suffering in Thailand’s Northeastern (Isaan) Region. Methods: This prospective cohort study aimed to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among 72 newly diagnosed CCA patients; 42 patients who received cannabis treatment (CT) and 30 patients who received a standard palliative care treatment (ST). The study was carried out between 1st September 2019 to 31st October 2020. Data were collected from patients from oncology clinics of six hospitals in five provinces of northeast Thailand. The HRQoL was measured at baseline, and at 2 and 4 months after diagnosis by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Core Quality of Life questionnaires QLQ-C30, and QLQ-BIL21. The Mann-Whitney U-test was performed to compare quality of life scores between the two patient groups and Wilcoxon signed rank test was performed to compare within groups QoL scores at pre-treatment, and 2 and 4 month follow-ups. Results: Global health status and functional scales, for both groups were high at pre-treatment. At 2 and 4 month follow-up, CT group patients had consistent statistically significantly better Palliative Performance Scale (PPS), and QoL scores, and many symptom scores than the ST group. Conclusions: Medicinal cannabis may increase QoL for advanced CCA patients. Our findings support the importance of early access to palliative cannabis care clinic before the terminal and acceleration phase close to death.

show abstract

Attitudes and Beliefs About Medical Usefulness and Legalization of Marijuana among Cancer Patients in a Legalized and a Nonlegalized State

Cited by 25 publications

References 43 publications

Cannabis use among cancer survivors in the United States: Analysis of a nationally representative sample

Cannabis use among cancer survivors in the United States: Analysis of a nationally representative sample

Routes of administration, reasons for use, and approved indications of medical cannabis in oncology: a scoping review

Comparison of effects of medicinal cannabis or standard palliative care on quality of life of patients with cholangiocarcinoma in Northeast Thailand

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About