Cannabis Improves Quality Of Life For Head & Neck Cancer Patients

How Cannabis is Helping Patients with Head and Neck Cancers in Canada from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

A new report published in the JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery journal reveals how cannabis use has improved the quality of life for patients who have been diagnosed with cancers of the head and neck.

A group of researchers from Canada carried out the study by asking patients to fill out questionnaires that were used to evaluate and compare the quality of life among patients with head and neck cancer, and who used cannabis compared to those who didn’t. The data was taken from 2011 to 2015, and covered the feedback from 74 patients who used cannabis and 74 who didn’t.

“In Canada we’re looking to legalize marijuana federally and we’re trying to get a better idea about marijuana use among the cancer population, including the quality-of-life factors presenting among patients with cancer,” says Michael K. Gupta, MD, MSc, FRCSC, assistant professor in otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at St. Joseph’s Healthcare, and one of the researchers.

Gupta disclosed to HemOnc Today: “We conducted a study to see if marijuana was effective for the management of pain and anxiety among patients with head and neck cancer. The study was prompted by a combination of upcoming changes in legislation and the fact that we were curious about the effects in our patients.”

To determine and analyze the patients’ quality of life, Gupta and the researchers used the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), as well as the EuroQol-5D. They found that the patients who used pot had less pain, improved appetites, and better overall well-being. Cannabis users also reported less anxiety, fatigue, depression, and drowsiness.

“The novel thing this study does is that it finds that marijuana use is associated with both lower pain scores and lower anxiety scores,” Gupta says. “So, it seems to be an agent that will both reduce people’s anxiety surrounding their diagnosis of cancer, and it will also be effective in treating pain related to cancer.”

Significance of the Findings

Around 4% of all cancer cases in the United States are those of the head and neck; these include cancers affecting the larynx, pharynx, oral cavity, nasal cavity, and paranasal sinuses. Because of this, said patients experience distinct problems when it comes to quality of life.

“Patients with head and neck cancer have some unique quality-of-life issues because the cancer tends to affect things like swallowing, breathing and speaking. It can be quite debilitating, and the pain can be significant and interfere with activities of daily living. Among this set of patients who have very acute and specific problems, the findings suggest that marijuana use is effective,” says Gupta.

While Gupta recognizes the potential importance of the findings, he also acknowledges that more studies are needed to better understand the therapeutic benefits of cannabis for these cancers. “The use of marijuana for cancer pain is very much in its infancy, so we need more data,” he says. “The next thing to do is a randomized controlled trial. We need to look at these patients and randomly assign them to a fixed dose of some cannabinoid agent and assess anxiety and pain scores.”

An older study from 2016 reveals similar findings. The study, published in the Supportive Care in Cancer journal, found that patients with head and neck cancer who consumed cannabis via smoking, vaporizing, or eating, were able to better manage their pain, weight, depression, sensory changes, and dysphagia; which are the side effects of their radiotherapy treatment.

The researchers distributed a questionnaire to 15 patients with head and neck cancers, who admitted to using cannabis. All patients were male and used cannabis to manage the side effects of their treatment. Additionally, 80% of the patients admitted to using cannabis before their diagnosis, while 40% of them either previously or currently used it to get high. They found that the patients consumed cannabis to treat their muscle spasms, pain, sticky saliva, dysphagia, depression, appetite, and weight problems.

So while some studies argue that smoking cannabis has harmful effects on health, and can even increase the risk for cancer including those of the head and neck, the science tells us that the opposite is true. Another 2015 study of 13,931 participants (8,199 controls and 5,732 cases) found that there was “insufficient epidemiological evidence to support a positive or negative association of marijuana use and the development of head and neck cancers.”

Have you used cannabis to help treat the side effects of head and neck cancer treatments?