Use of medical cannabis in cancer-related symptons: A systematic review.

person Claudia Vaz De Melo Sette Centro Universitário FMABC, Santo André, Brazil info_outline Claudia Vaz De Melo Sette, Jean Henri Schoueri, Daniel De Iracema Gomes Cubero, Auro Del Giglio

Authors person Claudia Vaz De Melo Sette Centro Universitário FMABC, Santo André, Brazil info_outline Claudia Vaz De Melo Sette, Jean Henri Schoueri, Daniel De Iracema Gomes Cubero, Auro Del Giglio Organizations Centro Universitário FMABC, Santo André, Brazil, ABC Medical School, Santo André, Brazil, Federal University of the ABC, Santo André, Brazil Abstract Disclosures Research Funding No funding received None. Background: Medical cannabis’ (MC) use is increasing due to its alleged potencial effects amongst various diseases. In this sense, there are many papers trying to demonstrate its benefits in cancer-related symptoms (CRS). However, few randomised controlled trials (RCT) were done to date. This systematic review (SR) aimed to evaluate the eficacy of MC in CRS. Methods: We performed a SR acordding to PRISMA guidelines based on PUBMED, EMBASE, LILACS and WEBScience platforms seaching for RCTs using the following terms: medical cannabis OR cannabinoids OR dronabinol OR tetrahydrocannabinol OR AND nausea OR vomiting OR chemotherapy OR cancer OR pain OR cachexia OR anorexia. We included trials from January 2010 to January 2023 that evaluated the association between MC and CRS. Results: We found 2097 abstracts, of which 304 were RCTs. After excluding the ones that did not meet the inclusion criteria, repeated articles and non-published trials, we ended up with 9 papers. Most of these studies used oral sprays combination of CBD/THC and the results are heterogeneous as displayed in table 1. Conclusions: MC may have a potencial effect in CRS, however more RCTs are needed for current literature presentes low quality evidence for its use. Up to now, there is no clear data to encourage its use. First Author Year Study Desing Main variable studied Sample Size (analyzed patients) Drug Formulation Drug Active Ingredients Tested Adverse Effect Main Adverse Effect Primary Outcome Jeremy R. Johnson 2009 Multicenter Pain 177 oral spray THC/CBD Vs THC < 25% somnolence Positive Marta Duran 2010 Multicenter Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting 16 oral spray CBD/THC Vs Placebo 75-100% somnolence Positive T.D. Brisbois 2011 Two centers/sites Taste and Flavor of Food 21 oral spray THC Vs Placebo - nausea/vomiting Positive Russell K. Portenoy 2012 Multicenter Pain 359 oral spray THC/CBD Vs Placebo > 75% nausea/dizziness Positive Mary E. Lynch 2014 One center/site Neuropathic pain induced by chemotherapy 16 oral spray CBD Vs Placebo > 75% fatigue Negative Mathieu Côté 2016 One center/site Global Quality of Life 32 capsule CBD Vs Placebo > 75% nausea Negative Marie T Fallon 2017 Multicenter Pain 397 oral spray THC/CBD Vs Placebo 50-75% somnolence Negative Marie T Fallon 2017 Multicenter Pain 206 oral spray THC/CBD Vs Placebo < 25% somnolence Negative Aron T. Lichtman 2018 Multicenter Pain 397 oral spray CBD VS Placebo 50-75% nausea Negative P. Grimison 2020 Multicenter Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting 78 capsule THC:CBD Vs Placebo 25-50% somnolence Positive