Cannabis Treatment Improves Cognitive Function, Reduces Pain And Depression Among Advanced Cancer Patients, New Study

Pain, poor appetite, depression and sleep issues are some of the challenges affecting patients with advanced cancer. Can marijuana help?

A new study, conducted by Danish researchers, revealed that low doses of oral THC (dronabinol) improve cognitive function in patients with advanced cancer, while also reducing some of the most common disease-related issues. The research was published this month in the journal Palliative Medicine Reports.

“The cause is likely multifactorial including reported relief of cancer-associated symptoms,” the study authors wrote, highlighting that the patients saw reductions in pain, depression and fatigue. 

“None of the patients included in the study had their pain medication doses changed by their palliative care clinicians during the two-week study period. However, three of the six patients reported in the second health interview that their pain was so well treated with dronabinol that they had stopped their treatment with conventional pain-relieving agents, such as opioids, from which they had experienced negative side effects, particularly tiredness and nausea,” researchers wrote.

While these findings of improved cognition oppose the current beliefs and some previous studies regarding THC in recreational users, this is not the first study to show cognition improvements with the right cannabis treatment.

“It was found that in this group of patients, the short-term use of dronabinol did not impair cognition. Rather, the treatment was associated with improved cognition, especially in the processing and reasoning domains," Danish scientists concluded. "The study also found relief of pain, fatigue, and depressive symptoms, which may have had an indirect beneficial effect on cognitive functions. Moreover, some of the patients reported a decrease in conventional pharmaceuticals, notably opioids.”

A recent Australian study published in the journal CNS Drugs also confirmed medical marijuana prescribed for chronic conditions does not negatively impact cognitive function.

Related Links: 

In Less Than 2 Months, Federal Health Agency Has Granted $6.4M To Study Medical Marijuana In Cancer Patients

National Cancer Institute Study Looks At Cannabis Efficacy On Immunotherapy In Cancer Patients 

Photo: Benzinga edit with images by Karolina Grabowska via Pexels and Darwin Laganzon and nneem from Pixabay