A user’s guide to cannabinoid therapies in oncology

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“Cannabinoid” is the collective term for a group of chemical compounds that either are derived from the Cannabis plant, are synthetic analogues, or occur endogenously. Although cannabinoids interact mostly at the level of the currently recognized cannabinoid receptors, they might have cross reactivity, such as at opioid receptors. Patients with malignant disease represent a cohort within health care that have some of the greatest unmet needs despite the availability of a plethora of guideline-driven disease-modulating treatments and pain and symptom management options. The use of cannabinoid therapies could be effective in improving quality of life and possibly modifying malignancy by virtue of direct effects and in improving compliance or adherence with disease-modulating treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes Regarding the Use of Medical Cannabis in the Hospice Population: An Educational Intervention

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Currently, 28 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for medical use despite its remaining Schedule I federally. Benefits of medical cannabis (MC) have been demonstrated in nausea/vomiting associated with chemotherapy, cachexia associated with HIV/AIDS, and certain types of neuropathic pain. The aim of this study is to determine changes in knowledge, self-perceived skills, and attitudes (KSA) of hospice providers regarding MC after an online educational intervention. Providers’ attitudes regarding the importance of MC knowledge were strong and the same before and after. Both the self-perception of skills and direct knowledge were significantly increased after the educational intervention.

Modulating the endocannabinoid pathway as treatment for peripheral neuropathic pain: a selected review of preclinical studies

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Chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain is a distressing and commonly occurring side effect of many commonly used chemotherapeutic agents, which in some cases may prevent cancer patients from being able to complete their treatment. Cannabinoid based therapies have the potential to manage or even prevent pain associated with this syndrome. These studies also provide in-sight into the biological mechanism behind the therapeutic utility of cannabis compounds in managing chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, and provide a basis for the conduct of future clinical studies in patients of this population.

Pharmacological Foundations of Cannabis Chemovars

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An advanced Mendelian Cannabis breeding program has been developed utilizing chemical markers to maximize the yield of phytocannabinoids and terpenoids with the aim to improve therapeutic efficacy and safety.  In recent years, the therapeutic benefits of cannabidiol have been better recognized, leading to the promotion of additional chemovars: Type II. Specific chemovars may produce enhanced analgesia, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, and anti-anxiety effects, while simultaneously reducing sequelae of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol such as panic, toxic psychosis, and short-term memory impairment.

Single-Dose Pharmacokinetics of Oral Cannabidiol Following Administration of PTL101: A New Formulation Based on Gelatin Matrix Pellets Technology

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Cannabidiol (CBD) is the main nonpsychoactive component of the cannabis plant. It has been associated with antiseizure, antioxidant, neuroprotective, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, and antipsychotic effects. PTL101 is an oral gelatin matrix pellets technology-based formulation containing highly purified CBD embedded in seamless gelatin matrix beadlets. PTL101 is a pharmaceutical-grade, user-friendly oral formulation that demonstrated safe and efficient delivery of CBD and therefore could be an attractive candidate for therapeutic indications.

Medical cannabis for the treatment of chronic pain and other disorders: misconceptions and facts

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Recently, many countries have enacted new cannabis policies, including decriminalization of cannabis possession, medical cannabislegalization, and legalization of recreational cannabis.  In this context, patients and their physicians have had an increasing number of conversations about the risks and benefits of cannabis.  While cannabis and cannabinoids continue to be evaluated as pharmacotherapy for medical conditions, currently, the best evidence exists for the following medical conditions: chronic pain, neuropathic pain, and spasticity resulting from multiple sclerosis.

Prevalence and motives for drugged driving among emerging adults presenting to an emergency department

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Drugged driving [DD] is a public health concern, particularly among emerging adults who have the highest rates of drug use. Understanding involvement with DD could inform prevention efforts for this population. We evaluated the prevalence of, motives for, and correlates of past-year DD among emerging adults from an urban, under-resourced community.

Associations between medical cannabis and prescription opioid use in chronic pain patients: A preliminary cohort study

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Current levels and dangers of opioid use in the U.S. warrant the investigation of harm-reducing treatment alternatives. The clinically and statistically significant evidence of an association between medical cannabis programme enrollment and opioid prescription cessation and reductions and improved quality of life warrants further investigations on cannabis as a potential alternative to prescription opioids for treating chronic pain.

Standardized Cannabis sativa extract attenuates tau and stathmin gene expression in the melanoma cell line

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Metastasis is the main cause of death in patients with melanoma. Cannabis-based medicines are effective adjunctive drugs in cancer patients. Tau and Stathmin proteins are the key proteins in cancer metastasis. Here we have investigated the effect of a standardized Cannabis sativa extract on cell migration and Tau and Stathmin gene expression in the melanoma cell line.

Review: The Role of Cannabinoids on Esophageal Function-What We Know Thus Far

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The endocannabinoid system (ECS) primarily consists of cannabinoid receptors (CBRs), endogenous ligands, and enzymes for endocannabinoid biosynthesis and inactivation. Given the varying and sometimes limited efficacy of current medical therapies for diseases of the esophagus, further understanding and investigation into the interplay of the ECS on esophageal health and disease may present new therapeutic modalities that may help advance current treatment options.