Impact of Cannabis Use Patterns on Symptoms in Patients with Cancer (Sch435)

• Published in: Journal of pain and symptom management 2023-05, Vol.65 (5), p.e597-e598
• Main Authors: Reddy, Apoorva, Shah, Janvi, Hampton, John, Schmitz, Natalie, Trentham-Dietz, Amy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0885-3924
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2023.02.172

1. Describe the relationships between symptom response, specifically disturbed sleep and anxiety, and cannabis product use. 2. Define promising doses and cannabinoid products associated with improved patient-reported symptoms in adults with cancer. Early clinical data indicate cannabinoid therapy is promising in palliative care for cancer survivors. Cannabis products were shown to reduce symptoms associated with cancer, such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain, lack of appetite, disturbed sleep, nausea, and vomiting. However, the optimal combinations of cannabinoids, routes of administration, and dosing are unknown. Given that 20% of cancer survivors report use of cannabis products, our study objective is to identify promising doses and cannabinoid products associated with improved symptoms in cancer survivors. This retrospective analysis includes patient-reported data from 1,721 patients enrolled in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program (MMCP) from 2015 to 2021. Total milligrams of THC and CBD used by each patient in their first 4 months of MMCP enrollment were used to calculate the ratio of THC to CBD. Linear regression was used to evaluate the association of THC and CBD with the 4-month average decrease in disturbed sleep and anxiety. Regression models were adjusted for gender, patient age, and initial symptom score. The trend of THC/CBD ratio significantly associated with a 4-month average decrease in disturbed sleep score. The median disturbed sleep score (range 0-10) decreased from 7 to 5.5 after 4 months. A THC/CBD ratio of less than 1 was associated with a significant decrease in disturbed sleep (p