Recent research shows that using medical marijuana to treat cancer can lessen discomfort and reduce the demand for opioid medicines. A thorough analysis of the advantages of medicinal cannabis for pain associated with cancer has shown that the pain was greatly reduced, other cancer-related symptoms dropped, the use of painkillers dropped, and adverse reactions were barely noticeable. “Our study is the first to evaluate the potential advantages of medical cannabis for treating the pain associated with cancer in oncology patients, collecting information from the beginning of therapy and with subsequent follow-ups for a prolonged amount of time to get an in-depth evaluation of its effectiveness,” said author David Meiri, a research assistant at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. Have a look at medical marijuanas missouri
Alternative therapy using cannabis for medicinal purposes for cancer
The researchers began exploring the possible advantages of medical cannabis for cancer treatment after speaking with multiple cancer patients about other choices for pain and symptom management.
Gil Bar-Sela, a co-author and a professor of medicine at a medicinal Center in Afula, stated, “We encountered many cancer patients who inquired about whether medicinal cannabis treatment may enhance their health. Our first analysis of the available studies showed that, in reality, barely anything was known about its efficacy, especially in the mitigation of pain caused by cancer, and of the information that was known, the majority of findings were ambiguous.
The researchers enlisted oncologists who might provide their cancer patients with a medicinal cannabis license. These oncologists recorded the features of the patient’s diseases and recommended them for research if they were interested. Patients filled out anonymous surveys before beginning therapy and again at various intervals throughout the next six months. According to Bar-Sela, “We collected data on a variety of criteria, including pain measurements, painkiller use, the severity of cancer symptoms, sexual difficulties, and side effects.
Cancer symptoms and discomfort are reduced
The information showed that using medicinal marijuana for cancer therapy enhanced numerous outcome measurements while lowering cancer pain and other symptoms. The usage of opioids and painkillers was decreased, which was the most important finding. After six months of taking medicinal cannabis for cancer therapy, more than fifty percent of the patients discontinued all painkillers.
Although medical marijuana has been recommended as a potential treatment for appetite loss, the majority of the study’s participants still lost weight.
Weight loss is anticipated as the disease progresses, as a significant number of patients have been diagnosed with progressing malignancies, according to Meiri.
“Interestingly, we found that most men’s sexual function improved while most women’s worsened,” he concluded.
Meiri wants further research to examine the efficacy of medical cannabis in various populations of cancer patients.
“Although our study was highly thorough and provided more viewpoints on medicinal cannabis, the range of patients in our research was wide-ranging due to factors including gender, age, ethnicity, and cancer kinds and stages. Future research should thus examine the degree of medical cannabis’ efficacy in particular subsets of cancer patients who share additional traits.
