Survival Rates, Quality of Life and Side Effects of Medical Cannabis in Patients with Palliative Cancer in Thailand

This study aimed to compare clinical outcomes and safety in patients with palliative cancer who used cannabis and morphine across dimensions such as survival rate, hospital admission rate, number of hospital days, quality of life, and side effects. A retrospective cohort observational study was conducted based on medical records from January 1, 2020 – March 30, 2023. Additionally, a prospective cohort study was conducted using the EQ-5D-5L and Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) quality of life scales. The study included 98 cancer patients receiving palliative care in six hospitals. The results showed that the median survival time of the cannabis group (CG) was 0.69 years, and the morphine group (MG) was 0.52 years (p = 0.168). The CG had a lower hospital admission rate than the MG, p>0.05. The CG had fewer number of hospital days than the MG, p<0.05. The quality of life (QOL) assessment by ESAS indicated that the CG had a better QOL than the MG, p<0.05. The EQ-5D-5L tool also demonstrated that the QOL score for the CG was higher than that of the MG, p<0.05. The MG had higher levels of liver enzymes, including AST and ALT than those who received cannabis, p<0.05. These findings suggest that medical cannabis may be beneficial for palliative cancer patients.