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Differences between cancer patients and others who use medicinal Cannabis

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients have been at the forefront of policy discussions leading to legalization of medical Cannabis (marijuana). Unfortunately, Cannabis use among those with cancer is poorly understood. METHODS: A diverse group of patients seeking certification for medical Cannabis in the state...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Cousins, Matthew M., Jannausch, Mary, Jagsi, Reshma, Ilgen, Mark
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7963092/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33725004
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248227
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author Cousins, Matthew M.
Jannausch, Mary
Jagsi, Reshma
Ilgen, Mark
author_facet Cousins, Matthew M.
Jannausch, Mary
Jagsi, Reshma
Ilgen, Mark
author_sort Cousins, Matthew M.
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: Cancer patients have been at the forefront of policy discussions leading to legalization of medical Cannabis (marijuana). Unfortunately, Cannabis use among those with cancer is poorly understood. METHODS: A diverse group of patients seeking certification for medical Cannabis in the state of Michigan were surveyed at the time of their presentation to medical dispensaries. The survey assessed demographics, employment/disability, pain, physical functioning, mental health, mode of Cannabis use, and frequency/amount of Cannabis use. Chi-square and t-tests were performed to compare those who did and did not endorse cancer diagnosis. RESULTS: Analysis of data from 1485 adults pursuing medical Cannabis certification, including 72 (4.8%) reporting a cancer diagnosis, indicated that those with cancer were older [mean age 53.4 years (SD = 10.5) vs. 44.7 years (SD = 13.0); p<0.001] than those without cancer. They also differed regarding employment status (p<0.001; working: 20.8% vs. 46.2%; disabled: 44.4% vs. 26.5% for those with vs. those without cancer, respectively). Those with cancer used less Cannabis (p = 0.033 for quantity used) and used Cannabis less often (p = 0.032 for frequency of use); they less frequently endorsed smoking Cannabis (80% vs 91%; p = 0.015). There was a non-significant trend to increased edible use in those with cancer (57% vs. 44%; p = 0.052). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cancer who are seeking medical Cannabis are different from those seeking medical Cannabis without cancer, and they report using Cannabis differently. Further research to characterize the patterns and consequences of Cannabis use in cancer patients is needed.
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spelling pubmed-79630922021-03-26 Differences between cancer patients and others who use medicinal Cannabis Cousins, Matthew M. Jannausch, Mary Jagsi, Reshma Ilgen, Mark PLoS One Research Article BACKGROUND: Cancer patients have been at the forefront of policy discussions leading to legalization of medical Cannabis (marijuana). Unfortunately, Cannabis use among those with cancer is poorly understood. METHODS: A diverse group of patients seeking certification for medical Cannabis in the state of Michigan were surveyed at the time of their presentation to medical dispensaries. The survey assessed demographics, employment/disability, pain, physical functioning, mental health, mode of Cannabis use, and frequency/amount of Cannabis use. Chi-square and t-tests were performed to compare those who did and did not endorse cancer diagnosis. RESULTS: Analysis of data from 1485 adults pursuing medical Cannabis certification, including 72 (4.8%) reporting a cancer diagnosis, indicated that those with cancer were older [mean age 53.4 years (SD = 10.5) vs. 44.7 years (SD = 13.0); p<0.001] than those without cancer. They also differed regarding employment status (p<0.001; working: 20.8% vs. 46.2%; disabled: 44.4% vs. 26.5% for those with vs. those without cancer, respectively). Those with cancer used less Cannabis (p = 0.033 for quantity used) and used Cannabis less often (p = 0.032 for frequency of use); they less frequently endorsed smoking Cannabis (80% vs 91%; p = 0.015). There was a non-significant trend to increased edible use in those with cancer (57% vs. 44%; p = 0.052). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cancer who are seeking medical Cannabis are different from those seeking medical Cannabis without cancer, and they report using Cannabis differently. Further research to characterize the patterns and consequences of Cannabis use in cancer patients is needed. Public Library of Science 2021-03-16 /pmc/articles/PMC7963092/ /pubmed/33725004 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248227 Text en © 2021 Cousins et al http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Cousins, Matthew M.
Jannausch, Mary
Jagsi, Reshma
Ilgen, Mark
Differences between cancer patients and others who use medicinal Cannabis
title Differences between cancer patients and others who use medicinal Cannabis
title_full Differences between cancer patients and others who use medicinal Cannabis
title_fullStr Differences between cancer patients and others who use medicinal Cannabis
title_full_unstemmed Differences between cancer patients and others who use medicinal Cannabis
title_short Differences between cancer patients and others who use medicinal Cannabis
title_sort differences between cancer patients and others who use medicinal cannabis
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7963092/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33725004
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248227
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