Abstract Background: The use of cannabis by cancer patients has become increasingly common. With expanding access to medical cannabis, unsanctioned cannabis use is likely to increase. Despite this, the extent to which patients seeking specialized palliative or supportive care for cancer-related symptoms are actively using cannabis has not been well established. Objective: We sought to determine the extent to which patients seeking specialized symptom management were using cannabis and to compare the severity of cancer-related symptoms between users and nonusers. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of objectively measured tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and subjectively reported cannabis use, its demographic and clinical correlates, and patient-reported symptoms in 816 cancer...

Abstract Background: Cancer-related cachexia and anorexia syndrome (CACS) is a common phenomenon in cancer patients. Cannabis has been suggested to stimulate appetite but research on this issue has yielded mixed results. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of dosage-controlled cannabis capsules on CACS in advanced cancer patients. Methods: The cannabis capsules used in this study contained two fractions of oil-based compounds. The planned treatment was 2 × 10 mg per 24 hours for six months of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) 9.5 mg and cannabidiol (CBD) 0.5 mg. If patients suffered from side effects, dosage was reduced to 5 mg × 2 per day (THC 4.75 mg, CBD...

Abstract Background: Research on the patterns of use of medical cannabis among cancer patients is lacking. Objective: To describe patterns of medical cannabis use by patients with cancer, and how patterns differ from patients without cancer. Design/Measurements: We performed secondary data analysis using data from a medical cannabis licensee in New York State, analyzing demographic information, qualifying conditions, and symptoms, and the medical cannabis product used, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to cannabidiol (CBD) ratios. Setting/Subjects: Adults age ≥18 who used New York State medical cannabis licensee products between January 2016 and December 2017. Results: There were a total of 11,590 individuals with 1990 (17.2%) having cancer who used at least...

Abstract Background Despite improvements in medical care, patients with advanced cancer still experience substantial symptom distress. There is increasing interest in the use of medicinal cannabinoids, but there is little high quality evidence to guide clinicians. This study aims to define the role of cannabidiol (CBD) in the management of symptom burden in patients with advanced cancer undergoing standard palliative care. Methods and design This study is a multicentre, randomised, placebo controlled, two arm, parallel trial of escalating doses of oral CBD. It will compare efficacy and safety outcomes of a titrated dose of CBD (100 mg/mL formulation, dose range 50 mg to 600 mg per day)...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Background: The importance of medical cannabis and cannabis-based medicines for cancer pain management needs to be determined. Methods: A systematic literature search until December 2018 included CENTRAL, PubMed, SCOPUS and trial registers. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating medical cannabis and/or pharmaceutical cannabinoids for pain control in cancer patients with a study duration of at least 2 weeks and a sample size of at least 20 participants per study arm were included. Clinical outcomes comprised efficacy (pain intensity, patient impression of improvement, combined responder, sleep problems, psychological distress, opioid maintenance and breakthrough dosage), tolerability (dropout rate due to...

Simple Summary Pancreatic cancer (PC) is related to lifestyle risks, chronic inflammation, and germline mutations. Surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy are the main therapeutic strategies but are less effective in patients with high-grade tumors. Oxygen-ozone (O2/O3) therapy is an emerging alternative tool for the treatment of several clinical disorders. The advantages of using cannabinoids have been evaluated in several human cancers. Regarding PC, activation of cannabinoid receptors was found to induce PC cell apoptosis without affecting the normal pancreas cells. Herein, we evaluate the anticancer effect of cannabidiol (CBD) and O2/O3, alone or in combination, on two human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines,...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract In this work, we evaluated, for the first time, the antitumor effect of cannabidiol (CBD) as monotherapy and in combination with conventional chemotherapeutics in ovarian cancer and developed PLGA-microparticles as CBD carriers to optimize its anticancer activity. Spherical microparticles, with a mean particle size around 25 µm and high entrapment efficiency were obtained. Microparticles elaborated with a CBD:polymer ratio of 10:100 were selected due to the most suitable release profile with a zero-order CBD release (14.13 ± 0.17 μg/day/10 mg Mps) for 40 days. The single administration of this formulation showed an in vitro extended antitumor activity for at least 10 days and an in ovo antitumor efficacy comparable to that of CBD in solution after daily topical...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Background: The opioid epidemic has spurred investigations for nonopioid options, yet limited research persists on medical marijuana's (MMJ) efficacy in managing cancer-related symptoms. Objective: We sought to characterize MMJ's role on symptomatic relief and opioid consumption in the oncologic population. Design: Retrospective chart review of MMJ-certified oncology patients was performed. Divided patients into MMJ use [MMJ(+)] versus no use [MMJ(−)], and Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)-reported pain cohorts: “mild-moderate” versus “severe.” Measurements: Medical records were reviewed for ESAS, to measure physical and emotional symptoms, and opiate consumption, converted into morphine milligram equivalents (MME). Minimal clinically important differences were determined....

Abstract The intraperitoneal administration of chemotherapeutics has emerged as a potential route in ovarian cancer treatment. Nanoparticles as carriers for these agents could be interesting by increasing the retention of chemotherapeutics within the peritoneal cavity. Moreover, nanoparticles could be internalised by cancer cells and let the drug release near the biological target, which could increase the anticancer efficacy. Cannabidiol (CBD), the main nonpsychotropic cannabinoid, appears as a potential anticancer drug. The aim of this work was to develop polymer nanoparticles as CBD carriers capable of being internalised by ovarian cancer cells. The drug-loaded nanoparticles (CBD-NPs) exhibited a spherical shape, a particle size around 240...

Abstract Cannabidiol (CBD) has anti-tumorigenic activity. However, the anti-cancer effect of CBD on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear. The cytotoxicity of CBD on HNSCC was analyzed using cell survival and colony-forming assays in vitro. RNA-seq was used for determining the mechanism underlying CBD-induced cell death. Xenograft mouse models were used to determine CBD’s effects in vivo. CBD treatment significantly reduced migration/invasion and viability of HNSCC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. HNSCC mouse xenograft models revealed anti-tumor effects of CBD. Furthermore, combinational treatment with CBD enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs. Apoptosis and autophagy processes were involved in CBD-induced...