Dronabinol for the Treatment of Paraneoplastic Night Sweats in Cancer Patients: A Report of Five Cases

Night sweats significantly impact the quality of life for cancer patients and are often resistant to treatment. Cannabinoids have been shown to modulate cytokine activity and produce hypothermia in animal models, suggesting that they may be a promising candidate for palliation of night sweats in patients with oncologic disease. Treatment of five patients with advanced cancer with synthetic orally administered dronabinol resulted in the successful management of persistent symptomatic paraneoplastic night sweats. Dronabinol and/or medicinal cannabis are promising therapies for palliation of night sweats in cancer patients.