Medical Cannabis reduces symptoms in cancer patients

Oncology patients undergoing cancer treatment say that the associated symptoms and comorbidities associated with the disease and its treatment are the cause of the majority of their suffering.

This was a long-term study conducted between January 2019 and September 2021 to assess the effectiveness of medical cannabis (MC) in reducing cancer related symptoms. It was published in Frontiers in Pain Research in May 2022. 

The primary outcome metrics examined were the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) of cancer symptoms burden and average weekly pain intensity on a 0–10 numerical scale. They also used 7 other metrics identified in the full text article below.

• "at 6 months, total cancer symptoms burden declined from baseline by a median of 18%"

• "The results of this study suggest that MC treatment is generally safe for oncology patients and can potentially reduce the burden of associated symptoms with no serious MC-related adverse effects."

The full text article is here at Frontiers.org.