By A new study led by a team of researchers from Ireland, the United States and Canada has determined that medical cannabis is a safe and effective treatment for pain caused by cancer when combined with other drugs. Researchers affiliated with the Royal College of Surgeons in Canada, and the Medical Cannabis Program in Oncology at Canada’s Cedars Cancer Center, McGill University and Harvard Medical School, said medical cannabis “is a safe and effective complementary therapy for pain.” concluded. Helping Cancer Patients”.
the studyPublished this week by the peer-reviewed journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, the study also looked at the effectiveness of medical cannabis in reducing the use of other drugs in cancer patients.
“Our data suggest a role for medical cannabis as a safe and complementary treatment option for cancer patients in whom conventional analgesics such as opioids do not provide adequate pain relief,” said the study’s authors. is writing
In the introduction, the researchers say that about 38% of cancer patients experience moderate to severe pain. In some patient groups, the percentage is even higher, with 55% of patients receiving anticancer therapy and 66% of patients with advanced, metastatic, or terminal disease experiencing pain. Painkillers, often strong opioids, are the standard treatment for cancer pain, but about one-third of patients who take them still experience pain.
To conduct this study, the research team surveyed 358 adult cancer patients over a three-year period to collect real-world data on cancer pain and its treatment. The mean age of study group participants was 57 years, and he 48% of patients were male. The most common cancer diagnoses were genitourinary, breast, and bowel cancers.
About a quarter of patients were given a THC-rich medical cannabis product, 17% were given a CBD-based formulation, and 38% were given a balanced mixture of the two products. rice field. Every three months for a year, study participants were surveyed and asked how much pain they felt. Patients were also asked how many medications they were taking to treat their pain.
Medical cannabis reduced cancer pain
At 3, 6, and 9 months from study entry, patients were experienced significant pain relief. Additionally, the study found that medical cannabis formulations with a balanced mixture of THC and CBD were most effective in reducing pain experienced by patients during the study.
The researchers also observed a decrease in the number of medications taken by participants during the study period, concluding that medical cannabis is a safe and effective complementary option for patients.
“A particularly good safety profile is [medicinal cannabis] Some of the effects found in this study may be attributed to close supervision by medical professionals who approved, directed, and monitored. [the] treatment,” the researchers wrote.
Overall, medical cannabis products were well tolerated by patients in the study group. I was just a patient.
The researchers recommended further research into the use of cannabis as a treatment for cancer pain, writing that “results should be confirmed through randomized, placebo-controlled trials.” They also recommended continued research “to understand the benefits and risks of these drugs, especially for children and adolescents.”
