What does the evidence say about cannabis in palliative care?
A systematic review of 52 studies found some positive effects of cannabis products on pain, nausea, appetite, and sleep in palliative care patients, but the overall evidence quality was very low to low.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Across 52 studies with 4,786 participants, some cannabis products showed positive effects on pain, nausea/vomiting, appetite, sleep, fatigue, and night sweats in cancer patients; appetite and agitation in dementia patients; and appetite and nausea in AIDS patients. However, all evidence was rated very low or low quality.
Key Numbers
52 studies (20 randomized, 32 non-randomized), 4,786 participants. Cancer: 4,491 patients. AIDS: 235. Dementia: 43. Spasticity: 16. All evidence rated "very low" or "low" quality.
How They Did This
Systematic review searching PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrials.gov from 1960 to September 2021. Quality assessed using GRADE. Risk of bias evaluated with RoB 2 (RCTs) and ROBINS-I (non-randomized studies). Meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity.
Why This Research Matters
Palliative care patients often use cannabis for symptom management, but clinicians lack high-quality evidence to guide recommendations.
The Bigger Picture
The wide range of cannabis products used across studies and heterogeneous outcomes made meta-analysis impossible, highlighting the need for standardized research in this field.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
All evidence was very low or low quality. Wide variation in cannabis products, doses, and outcome measures prevented meta-analysis. Most participants had cancer, limiting generalizability to other conditions.
Questions This Raises
- ?Which specific cannabis formulations are most effective for which palliative symptoms?
- ?Would standardized dosing protocols improve evidence quality in future studies?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 52 studies, 4,786 patients, but all evidence rated low or very low quality
- Evidence Grade:
- Comprehensive systematic review, but the underlying studies were all very low or low quality by GRADE criteria.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2022 with studies searched through September 2021.
- Original Title:
- Cannabis in Palliative Care: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence.
- Published In:
- Journal of pain and symptom management, 64(5), e260-e284 (2022)
- Authors:
- Doppen, Marjan, Kung, Stacey, Maijers, Ingrid, John, Mary, Dunphy, Harriette, Townsley, Hermaleigh, Eathorne, Allie, Semprini, Alex, Braithwaite, Irene
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03818
Evidence Hierarchy
Analyzes all available research on a topic using a structured method.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Did cannabis help with pain in palliative care?
Some studies found positive effects on pain in cancer patients, but the evidence quality was rated very low or low, meaning these findings need confirmation from better-designed studies.
Why couldn't the researchers combine the results statistically?
The studies used such a wide range of different cannabis products, doses, and ways of measuring outcomes that combining them in a meta-analysis was not meaningful.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03818APA
Doppen, Marjan; Kung, Stacey; Maijers, Ingrid; John, Mary; Dunphy, Harriette; Townsley, Hermaleigh; Eathorne, Allie; Semprini, Alex; Braithwaite, Irene. (2022). Cannabis in Palliative Care: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence.. Journal of pain and symptom management, 64(5), e260-e284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.06.002
MLA
Doppen, Marjan, et al. "Cannabis in Palliative Care: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence.." Journal of pain and symptom management, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.06.002
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Cannabis in Palliative Care: A Systematic Review of Current ..." RTHC-03818. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/doppen-2022-cannabis-in-palliative-care
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.