Cannabis in Cancer Care: Best Evidence for Nausea and Pain, Emerging Evidence for Appetite, Sleep, and Anxiety
A review of cannabis in palliative oncology found the strongest evidence for chemotherapy-induced nausea and cancer pain, with emerging evidence for anorexia, insomnia, and anxiety, and intriguing preclinical anti-cancer effects.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
The review assessed cannabis and cannabinoid use across the spectrum of palliative care needs in cancer patients.
The best-established indications were chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), where synthetic cannabinoids like nabilone and dronabinol have been approved for decades, and cancer-related pain, where cannabis showed benefit particularly for pain not adequately controlled by opioids alone.
Emerging evidence supported use for anorexia/cachexia (cancer-related weight loss), insomnia, and anxiety, though clinical trial data for these indications was limited. Side effects appeared manageable and subsided after discontinuation.
The review also noted preclinical evidence of anti-cancer (anti-neoplastic) effects of cannabinoids across a wide range of cancer cell lines and some animal models, but emphasized that these effects have not been confirmed in human clinical trials.
Key Numbers
Approved cannabinoids for CINV include nabilone and dronabinol. Evidence supports pain, nausea, appetite, sleep, and anxiety indications. Anti-cancer effects demonstrated in preclinical studies only. Side effects manageable and reversible.
How They Did This
Narrative review of published literature on cannabis and cannabinoid-based medicines in palliative oncology.
Why This Research Matters
Cancer patients often face multiple symptoms simultaneously: pain, nausea, poor appetite, insomnia, and anxiety. Cannabis's potential to address multiple symptoms with a single intervention is attractive for palliative care, where quality of life is the primary goal.
The Bigger Picture
Palliative care represents perhaps the most defensible use case for medical cannabis: patients with serious illness, limited life expectancy, and multiple distressing symptoms. The bar for evidence in this setting is arguably lower than for curative treatments, making the existing data more clinically relevant even if it falls short of gold-standard trial evidence.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Narrative review without systematic search methodology. Much of the evidence comes from studies of synthetic cannabinoids rather than whole-plant cannabis. The anti-cancer claims remain preclinical and should not be interpreted as suggesting cannabis treats cancer. The review does not distinguish between THC-dominant and CBD-dominant products.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would clinical trials of cannabis for multiple simultaneous cancer symptoms demonstrate benefit that single-symptom trials miss?
- ?Can cannabis reduce overall medication burden in palliative care?
- ?Will the preclinical anti-cancer effects ever translate to human clinical benefit?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Best evidence: chemotherapy nausea and cancer pain. Emerging: appetite, sleep, anxiety
- Evidence Grade:
- Moderate evidence from a narrative review, with varying evidence quality across different indications.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2017. Cancer-cannabinoid research has continued to expand.
- Original Title:
- Cannabis Use in Palliative Oncology: A Review of the Evidence for Popular Indications.
- Published In:
- The Israel Medical Association journal : IMAJ, 19(2), 85-88 (2017)
- Authors:
- Turgeman, Ilit(2), Bar-Sela, Gil(5)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-01540
Evidence Hierarchy
Summarizes existing research on a topic.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Can cannabis help with cancer symptoms?
This review found the best evidence for two indications: chemotherapy-induced nausea and cancer pain. There is also emerging evidence for improving appetite, sleep, and anxiety in cancer patients. Side effects were generally manageable.
Does cannabis fight cancer?
Preclinical studies (lab and animal) have shown anti-cancer effects of cannabinoids against various cancer cell lines. However, these effects have not been confirmed in human clinical trials, and no cancer treatment based on cannabinoids has been approved. Cannabis should not be used as a cancer treatment based on current evidence.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-01540APA
Turgeman, Ilit; Bar-Sela, Gil. (2017). Cannabis Use in Palliative Oncology: A Review of the Evidence for Popular Indications.. The Israel Medical Association journal : IMAJ, 19(2), 85-88.
MLA
Turgeman, Ilit, et al. "Cannabis Use in Palliative Oncology: A Review of the Evidence for Popular Indications.." The Israel Medical Association journal : IMAJ, 2017.
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Cannabis Use in Palliative Oncology: A Review of the Evidenc..." RTHC-01540. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/turgeman-2017-cannabis-use-in-palliative
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.