Abstract 356P
Background
Terminal cancer pain continues to be a significant morbidity. Most of the patients need intervention by pain specialists - and few still remain “difficult to treat”. In India, most of these patients do shift to alternative medicine in desperation, with active ingredients, such as steroids/cannabinoids, and few unclassified anti-tumor substances. After listing and analyzing these the two most frequently observed ones are steroids and cannabinoids wherever patients have satisfactory pain control.
Methods
An interview based study was conducted as a part of QOL Data collection, which included other symptoms (such as fatigue, cachexia, well-being etc.) in the period of 2016-2018. One of key inclusions was - patients with advanced cancer progressed on multiple lines for which there was no standard of care. After data collection, a subset analysis was conducted with reference to pain control and use of alternative medication. For ease of analysis subjects were grouped into 4 categories based on pain control with opioids and concurrent use of cannabinoids. Subjects whose nature of the medication was not known were excluded. All four groups were analyzed for the pain control with help of visual analogy scale (VAS).
Results
The baseline demographic characters in all four groups were well balanced and depicted in Table -1. Overall there were no statistically significant differences in the duration of symptoms, average dose of opioid analgesia, performance status and the stage of disease. Pain relief was better in the cannabis group, when it was used independently or in combination with opioids. No significant additional side effects pertaining to cannabis were reported by the patients. The overall qualities of life, as well as weight gain and nausea control were better in the cannabis group.
Conclusions
We could infer that Bhang [cannabis crude form], is an effective analgesic independently having synergy with opioids. It also improved overall QOL, especially in cachexia, without adverse effects. If scientifically proven with pharmaceutical grade, it will be a significant addition to the symptomatic care of terminally ill cancer patients. Though available in US, India still does not have regulatory approval for medical cannabis.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Resources from the same session
15P - Comparing the outcomes of the mastectomy using the tumescent technique by between the special and non-special surgeons
Presenter: Naoya Takeda
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
16P - Risk factors and prognostic value of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in hormone positive, non-metastatic breast cancer receiving adjuvant hormonal therapy
Presenter: Kartika Taroeno Hariadi
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
17P - Distance related outcome in indigenous and non-indigenous breast cancer women of Western Australia
Presenter: Azim Khan
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
18P - Usefulness of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in early stage breast cancer as predictor of disease-free survival in a Babylon Oncology Center
Presenter: Yaala Raof Al-Bairmany
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
19P - Silymarin functionalized quantum cores as selective inhibitor of polo-like kinase 1, and preclinical antitumor activity in human breast cancer xenografts
Presenter: Manickam Paulpandi
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
20P - Diagnostic value of serum HER-2 level in compression with tissue HER-2 in breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Presenter: Amir Shamshirian
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
21P - Clinical outcome of treatment without trastuzumab in HER2 positive breast cancer patients
Presenter: Than Than Aye
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
22P - Clinical outcomes after skin-sparing or nipple areolar complex-sparing mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy in early breast cancer patients
Presenter: Hye Yoon Lee
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
23P - The correlations between knowledge and attitudes of productive age women toward “SADARI” (breast self-assessment) as early detection of breast cancer in Pejeng Kaja Village, Ubud, Bali
Presenter: Yorky Brahmantya
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
24TiP - KEYNOTE-756: A randomized, double-blind, phase III study of pembrolizumab or placebo with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant endocrine therapy for high-risk, early-stage, ER+/HER2−breast cancer
Presenter: Fatima Cardoso
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract