A study funded by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Realm of Caring Foundation found that cancer patients using cannabis reported therapeutic benefits including pain relief, improved sleep, physical relaxation, emotional regulation, and reduced use of other medications, with the specific pattern of benefits differing based on whether patients used CBD-dominant products alone or in combination with THC.
Federally funded study finds THC and CBD products differ in symptom relief for cancer patients
A study funded by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Realm of Caring Foundation found that cancer patients using cannabis reported therapeutic benefits including pain relief, improved sleep, physical relaxation, emotional regulation, and reduced use of other medications, with the specific pattern of benefits differing based on whether patients used CBD-dominant products alone or in combination with THC.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, and Realm of Caring Foundation surveyed 65 cancer patients who use cannabis about the types of products they consume, perceived benefits, and any negative effects. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.
The study compared two groups: those using CBD-dominant preparations only and those using products containing both THC and CBD. Pain relief was the most frequently reported benefit across the full cohort, but was most prominent in the THC-and-CBD group. Emotional regulation was more prominent among CBD-only users, according to the researchers.
The study also examined how reported benefits were interconnected within each group. For CBD-only users, pain relief was most strongly linked to emotional regulation, reduced use of other medications, improved sleep or physical relaxation, and appetite stimulation, in that order. For those who also used THC, pain relief was most often linked, in descending order, to sleep or physical relaxation, emotional regulation, medication reduction, and appetite stimulation.
Regarding barriers to access, the researchers identified the stigma associated with THC use and the high cost of both CBD-dominant and THC-dominant products as the most frequently reported obstacles. The authors said the findings underscore 'the need for insurance coverage of medicinal cannabis to reduce the financial burden for this patient population.'
The researchers acknowledged limitations including self-selection and self-report bias and the absence of laboratory verification of the cannabis products patients used. They called for future research using larger and more diverse samples, objective measures of cannabinoid efficacy, randomized trials with a non-cannabis-using control group, and investigation of long-term outcomes.
- The source does not state the demographic breakdown of the 65 surveyed cancer patients, including cancer types, ages, or stages of disease.
- The source does not report the specific ratio of CBD-only users to THC-and-CBD users within the 65-patient cohort.
- The source does not state what cannabis products patients used or in what dosages, and notes that no laboratory verification of those products was conducted.
- The source does not report whether any of the patients' treating physicians were consulted or involved in the study.
- The source does not state when the survey was conducted or the timeframe over which patients were enrolled.
- The source does not report whether the Realm of Caring Foundation, listed as both a funder and an affiliated research institution, had any editorial role in the study's design or conclusions.
Read the original at Marijuana Moment