Study Finds Cannabis Improves Symptoms For Most Cancer Patients

NEW YORK, NY – The use of cannabis has significantly improved symptoms for most cancer survivors, according to a new study.

Marijuana Moment reported details of the study, which was published last month in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship.

A survey was conducted of 1,886 cancer survivors from 41 states who had been receiving treatment at a comprehensive cancer center.

Of those participating in the study, 17.4% were current cannabis users while 30.5% were previous users. The researchers found a notable prevalence of cannabis use among survivors, with most reporting a great degree of symptomatic improvement.  But only a few were aware of the health risks of cannabis use during cancer management.

About one fifth of the survivors used cannabis to treat the cancer while other respondents used it to treat various issues.  60% used it to manage sleep disturbances, 51% for pain, 41% for stress, 33% for nausea, and 32% for mood disorders or depression.  Over half the patients said cannabis was helpful to a great extent in managing symptoms, while between 25% and 50% said it was somewhat effective.

When it came to treating cancer, 47.7% of the respondents found marijuana to be effective to a great extent while 34.5% said it was somewhat helpful.

The report also addressed the future implications of cannabis use by cancer survivors.  “With more cancer survivors using cannabis as a palliative in managing their cancer-related symptoms, future guidelines and policies on cannabis use in cancer management should incorporate cannabis-based interventions to minimize the inadvertent harm from cannabis use during cancer treatment among survivors,” the researchers said.

They also called for policies, guidelines and educational programs regarding the benefits and risks of cannabis in cancer treatment, adding that the issue needs to be studied further. “With most survivors reporting benefits from cannabis use in cancer management, there is a need for more studies to strengthen current evidence on cannabis therapeutics,” the report said.

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