MEDICINAL CANNABIS IN ONCOLOGICAL PALLIATIVE CARE: CLINICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE CONTROL OF PAIN AND NAUSEA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/arev8n4-068Keywords:
Medicinal Cannabis, Palliative Care, Advanced Cancer, Cancer Pain, Nausea, CannabinoidsAbstract
The control of pain and nausea remains one of the main challenges in the management of patients with advanced cancer, even when conventional pharmacological treatments are applied. In the context of palliative care, the central objective is to relieve suffering and improve quality of life through comprehensive therapeutic strategies. In recent years, medicinal cannabis has gained increasing attention as a potential adjunct therapy for the management of refractory symptoms, particularly pain and nausea. The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids is related to their interaction with the endocannabinoid system, a network of receptors widely distributed in the central and peripheral nervous systems that participates in the modulation of pain, appetite, inflammation, and emetic reflexes. Several clinical trials and observational studies have evaluated the use of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) formulations in patients with advanced cancer, showing variable results. While the evidence is more consistent for the control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, the analgesic effects have been modest and inconsistent across studies. Overall, the available evidence suggests that medicinal cannabis should not be considered a first-line treatment for cancer-related pain, but it may play a role as an adjunct therapy in selected patients with refractory symptoms. Its use requires individualized clinical assessment, considering both potential symptomatic benefits and the limitations of the current evidence.
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