Impact of Medical Cannabis on Patient-Reported Symptoms for Patients With Cancer Enrolled in Minnesota’s Medical Cannabis Program

Journal of Oncology Practice
2019
Susan P. Anderson, Dylan M. Zylla, Deepa M. McGriff, & Tom J. Arneson

QUESTION ASKED: What is the impact of participating in the Minnesota medical cannabis program on managing symptoms in patients with cancer, and is medical cannabis well tolerated among this patient population?

SUMMARY ANSWER: Within 4 months of starting medical cannabis, there was a significant reduction in the severity of symptoms across all eight measures included in the study (anxiety, lack of appetite, depression, disturbed sleep, fatigue, nausea, pain, and vomiting) compared with baseline. Clinically meaningful improvements were most evident for vomiting, with the least clinically meaningful improvements observed for fatigue.

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