Medical Cannabis Helps Reduce Cancer Pain and Medication Intake
A recent study conducted by scientists at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, has found that medical cannabis can be effective in treating cancer pain and reducing the need for medication. The study analyzed health data from the Quebec Cannabis Registry to determine the suitability of medical cannabis for cancer pain treatment. The study included 358 cancer patients with an average age of 57 years, with almost equal representation of men and women. The most common cancer diagnoses among the participants were urogenital, breast, and colorectal cancer.
The majority of the patients (73%) were prescribed medical cannabis to alleviate their pain. The researchers monitored various aspects of the patients, including the intensity of their pain, their symptoms, the amount of medication they used, and their daily morphine consumption, on a quarterly basis for twelve months. The assessment of the degree of suffering was based on standardized metrics, ranging from zero (no suffering) to ten (the worst possible suffering), while the assessment of pain reduction was expressed in percentage values.
The study found that medical cannabis had few side effects and did not pose significant risks. Only 3% of patients reported a total of fifteen side effects, with thirteen of them considered minor. Five patients (1.4%) discontinued the use of medical cannabis due to side effects. The researchers observed a statistically significant decrease in pain intensity, overall suffering, and daily limitations caused by pain after 3, 6, and 9 months.
According to the collected data, cannabis preparations that contain a balanced mixture of the active substances tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) appear to be particularly effective, rather than a dominance of one of the two components. Based on the results, the researchers concluded that medical cannabis is a tolerable and additional treatment option if conventional medications are unable to adequately alleviate cancer pain.
In conclusion, the study provides evidence that medical cannabis can be a viable alternative for cancer patients suffering from pain. The study’s findings suggest that medical cannabis can reduce the need for medication and improve the quality of life for cancer patients. However, further research is needed to fully understand the potential benefits and risks of medical cannabis for cancer pain treatment.
