Studies show that medical cannabis can safely relieve cancer pain while decreasing overall medication and opioid usage.
Studies indicate that products containing equal concentrations of CBD and THC, rather than favoring either one over the other, appear to be particularly effective.
Researchers conclude that medical cannabis provides a safe solution when conventional medication cannot provide relief from cancer pain.
Over half of those receiving anticancer treatment and two thirds with advanced or terminal disease experience pain.
Opioids combined with anticonvulsant and anti-inflammatory medication are typically prescribed to relieve pain.
But one in three individuals will still experience discomfort, with opioid side effects including respiratory depression, constipation, sleepiness and nausea being experienced by these same individuals.
Researchers set out to determine whether medical cannabis could effectively and safely ease cancer pain while decreasing opioids and medication intake.
Over 3.5 years, 358 cancer patients were studied whose responses were submitted to a multicenter registry for evaluation.
Average age was 57; nearly half were men; most commonly diagnosed types of cancer included bowel, breast and genitourinary cancers; pain was the primary symptom leading to medical cannabis prescription.
THC:CBD balanced, CBD dominant and THC dominant products were approved in 38%, 16.5%, 24.5% of individuals respectively; most commonly recommended method of administration being oral consumption of the product.
Every three months for one year, all medications used, symptoms experienced, pain intensity levels and daily consumption of morphine were tracked and reported back.
On a sliding scale from zero pain (zero) to the most intense discomfort (10), we measured intensity and pain relief, from no relief (0%) to complete relief (100%). Two summary overall measures and pain interference over 24 hours were also provided as measures of overall severity and interference respectively.
Medical cannabis was generally well tolerated and safe, with 11 individuals reporting 15 moderate-severe side effects; 13 of these were considered minor; sleepiness was most frequently reported among these 11 individuals while fatigue occurred twice as frequently.
Two severe side effects associated with medical cannabis were considered unlikely, such as cardiovascular events and pneumonia, yet 5 people stopped using medical cannabis due to side effects.
This remarkable safety record of medical cannabis may be partly attributed to the close scrutiny and authorization by healthcare experts that directed, authorized and monitored treatment in this study.
At 3, 6, and 9 months, statistically significant reductions were noted in terms of overall pain severity, average and worst intensity pain levels, daily life pain interference and daily life pain interference.
Overall, THC:CBD products were linked with improved pain relief compared to either CBD-dominant or THC-dominant products.
At each subsequent 3-monthly check-up, there was a decreasing trend in total medication used, including opioid reduction over the first three.
This observational study cannot establish causation; moreover, many participants dropped out over its 12-month follow-up period; data regarding other medications were limited to discontinuations or addition.
However, these findings demonstrate a potential role for medical cannabis as a safe and complementary solution in providing adequate pain relief in people suffering from cancer who cannot find relief with conventional analgesics such as opioids.
