Does marijuana work in pain of cancer origin?

Abstract Abstract: Introduction and objective Pain is often the first symptom of cancer. Effective pain management is key to improving the quality of life for cancer patients, especially in advanced stages of the disease. Treatment of cancer pain includes interventional therapies, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and pharmaco-therapy, including opioids and cannabinoids. Cannabis contains a number of chemical compounds, including THC and CBD, which have different therapeutic properties. THC has analgesic and psychoactive effects, while CBD has anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and analgesic properties, but is less psychoactive. Review methods PubMed/MEDLINE databases were searched with entry criteria of „full text” and exclusion criteria of „review articles”, „systematic reviews”, and „meta-analyses”, considering studies from the last 5 years. The focus was on the keywords „cancer pain”, „cannabis”; eventually 40 publications were included. Abbreviated description of the state of knowledge The study showed that THC extract (Sativex) relieved cancer pain more effectively than placebo, while THC alone showed no significant difference. Patients using nabiximole experienced less pain and a better quality of life compared to placebo. Despite the positive results, more research is needed to recommend cannabinoids as a stand-alone treatment for cancer pain. Summary In the context of the fight against cancer, proper assessment and treatment of pain are a key element in improving the quality of life of cancer patients. Optimal pain management not only provides relief from the experience of suffering, but also affects patients; health outcomes, which is particularly important in terminal cancer states. Understanding the complexity of the interaction between cancer and pain is becoming crucial for effective treatment and improving patients’ quality of life.