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Cannabis Found to be Safe, Effective Treatment in Major Study of Thousands of Cancer Patients

Published: Mar 06, 2018   
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For the first time, a major scientific study has confirmed what cannabis advocates have known for decades: that cannabis can be a safe and effective palliative treatment in patients suffering from the debilitating effects of cancer. 


The article, "Prospective Analysis Of Safety And Efficacy Of Medical Cannabis In Large Unselected Population Of Patients With Cancer" just published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine, studied thousands of cancer patients at Tikun Olam clinics in Israel. The patients were prescribed cannabis for their "malignancy-related symptoms," mainly sleep problems, pain, nausea, and decreased appetite. All patients were prescribed one or more of Tikun Olam's proprietary cannabis strains, which were developed to address specific symptoms. Overall, the study encompassed 2,970 cancer patients, with an average age of 60, and treated between the years 2015 and 2017.


Tikun Olam published the following: 95.9% of respondents reported an improvement in their condition through use of medical cannabis, leading the study's authors to conclude that "Cannabis as a palliative treatment for cancer patients is a well-tolerated, effective and safe option." In medical terms, palliative treatment in cancer patients is aimed mainly to alleviate pain and nausea.


The article also offers hope in the fight against the U.S. opioid epidemic. While opioids were the most consumed drugby patients at intake, at six months, 36% had stopped taking opioids entirely, and an additional 10% decreased their dosage. This is especially significant because 51% of the patients studied were suffering from Stage 4 cancers, and 52% reported their pain at an intense (8/10) level.


"The data establishes that cannabis is effective treatment for the most acute symptoms of cancer, such as pain, which often requires the use of opioids," said Lihi Bar-Lev Schleider of Tikun Olam and lead author of the article.


Side effects were sparse and minor: the most common reported at one month were dizziness (8%), dry mouth (7.3%), increased appetite (3.6%), sleepiness (3.3%) and psychoactive effect (2.8%).


On the other hand, improvement was undisputed: at six months, 50.8% of respondents reported at least a significant improvement, 45.1% reported moderate or slight improvement and only 4.0% did not experience a positive effect.


Tikun Olam's Pharmaceuticals division (TOP) along with its Canadian joint venture partner, Jay Pharma, as well as  Israel's Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalemwere proud to collaborate together for this unprecedented affirmation by the scientific community of the efficacy of medical marijuana.


"This study paves the way for TOP and Jay Pharma to conduct further clinical trials with pharmaceutical-grade  medicine to address the adverse effects of chemotherapy and radiation, today's dominant cancer therapy methods. These results demonstrate that, used together with traditional oncology therapies, specific cannabis strains are safe and effective with virtually no side effects," said Sid Taubenfeld, Chief Executive Officer of TOP. 


This article has been republished from materials provided by Tikun OLam. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

 

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