New study reveals that cannabis is a safe and effective treatment for cancer pain

A new study by a team of Irish, American and Canadian researchers has established that medical cannabis is a safe and effective treatment for cancer pain when combined with other medications.

The researchers, who are affiliated with Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and Medical Cannabis Programme in Oncology from Cedars Cancer Centre in Canada, McGill University and Harvard Medical School, concluded that medical cannabis is «a safe and effective complementary treatment for pain relief in cancer patients».

The study, published this week in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, has sought to determine the effectiveness of medical cannabis for pain reduction in cancer patients. The study also examined 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 in cancer patients who fail to achieve adequate pain relief with conventional analgesics, such as opioids,» write the study authors.

In their introduction, the researchers note that around 38 % of cancer patients suffer from moderate to severe pain. This rate is even higher for certain patient groups: 55 % of patients undergoing cancer treatment and 66 % of patients with advanced, metastatic or terminal disease experience pain. Analgesics, often strong opioids, are the standard treatment for cancer pain, but around a third of patients using these drugs still experience pain.

To make this study, The research team surveyed 358 adult cancer patients over a three-year period to gather real-life data on cancer pain and its treatment. The average age of study participants was 57, and 48 % of patients were men. The most common cancer diagnoses were genitourinary cancers, breast cancers and bowel cancers.

Around a quarter of patients received THC-rich medical cannabis products, 17 % received CBD-dominant formulations and 38 % received a balanced mix of both products. Every three months for a year, study participants were asked about the intensity of the pain they were experiencing. They were also asked how many medications they were taking to treat the pain.

Medical cannabis reduces cancer pain

Three, six and nine months after the start of the study, patients experienced a significant reduction in pain, This is measured by factors such as pain severity, average pain intensity and overall interference with daily life. In addition, the research revealed that medical cannabis formulations containing a balanced blend of THC and CBD were the most effective in reducing the pain felt by patients during the study.

The researchers also observed a reduction in the number of medications taken by participants during the study period, and concluded that medical cannabis was a safe and effective complementary option for patients.

«The particularly good safety profile of [medical cannabis] found in this study can be partially attributed to the close supervision of the health professionals who authorized, directed and monitored [the] treatment,» the researchers write.

Overall, medical cannabis products were well tolerated by patients in the study group. The most frequently reported side effects of medical cannabis treatments were fatigue and drowsiness, but only by two and three patients, respectively.

The research team recommended further studies into the use of cannabis as a treatment for cancer pain, writing that their «results should be confirmed by randomized placebo-controlled trials». They also recommended further research «particularly to understand the benefits and risks of these drugs for children and young people».