Newswise —
New research from the University of Colorado Boulder indicates that cancer patients who utilize cannabis to alleviate their symptoms experience reduced pain and improved sleep, while also reaping an unforeseen benefit: enhanced cognitive clarity after several weeks of consistent use.
As a cancer survivor and senior author of the study, Angela Bryan, who is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU Boulder, stated that "it's difficult to think when you're in severe pain." The study found that when cancer patients used cannabis for an extended period and their pain decreased, they experienced improved cognitive function.
Recently published in the journal Exploration in Medicine on April 26th, the groundbreaking study was small in scale but significant in its findings, as it is among the first to analyze the impact of cannabis purchased at dispensaries, rather than government-supplied or synthetic cannabis, on cancer symptoms or the side-effects of chemotherapy.
The study also explored the variety of products cancer patients use now that it is legal in most states.
Bringing the lab to the patients
According to surveys, up to 40% of cancer patients in the United States use cannabis, but only one-third of doctors feel comfortable providing advice about it.
Studying the effects of cannabis is complicated due to federal laws that prohibit university researchers from possessing or distributing cannabis for research, unless it is government-issued or pharmaceutical grade. Consequently, most studies have focused on prescription products such as nabilone or dronabinol, which are typically prescribed for nausea, or government-supplied cannabis strains that are generally less potent and lack the diversity of over-the-counter offerings.
This research team took a different approach.
Angela Bryan collaborated with oncologists from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus to monitor 25 cancer patients who consumed cannabis for a period of two weeks.
The patients underwent an initial appointment to establish baseline levels of pain, sleep patterns, and cognitive function. Following this, they were instructed to purchase an edible cannabis product of their choosing from a dispensary. The selection was surprisingly diverse, comprising 18 different brands of products such as chocolates, gummies, tinctures, pills, and baked goods, which contained varying ratios of THC and CBD at a wide range of potencies.
Bryan noted that "this indicates that people are willing to experiment with whatever they believe may be beneficial, but there is a scarcity of data available to guide them in determining what works most effectively for their needs."
To examine the immediate effects, researchers utilized a "mobile laboratory" (also known as the "cannavan"), which was a Dodge Sprinter van. The van was driven to each participant's home, and they underwent physical and cognitive evaluations inside the van. After consuming cannabis in their homes, the participants were re-tested inside the van to assess the acute impacts.
After two weeks of sustained use at the frequency of their choice, they also had a follow-up exam.
The study found that within an hour of cannabis consumption, patients experienced a significant reduction in pain. However, it also resulted in impaired cognitive function and produced a "high" sensation among the patients, with the intensity being directly proportional to the THC content of the product consumed.
However, the longer-term effects showed a different pattern. After two weeks of continuous cannabis use, patients reported improvements in pain, sleep quality, and cognitive function. In addition, some objective measures of cognitive function, such as reaction times, also displayed improvement.
Bryan mentioned that she expected to observe some impairment in cognitive function, given that both cannabis and chemotherapy have previously been linked to cognitive difficulties. However, the results were quite the opposite, as patients reported feeling like they were thinking more clearly.
The more people’s pain subsided, the more their cognition seemed to improve.
Although larger controlled studies are necessary, the authors believe that the results present an intriguing possibility: While certain forms and doses of cannabis may cause short-term cognitive impairment, certain regimens could enhance cognitive function in the long run by relieving pain.
Personal experience
Bryan had been researching cancer prevention for several years and had recently begun researching the use of medicinal cannabis when, in 2017, her personal health and professional life intersected with a diagnosis of breast cancer.
Following her surgery and chemotherapy, she turned to cannabis as a means of alleviating her pain.
“The doctors were so supportive of what I wanted to do, but they had no idea what to tell me,” she said. “There was just no data.”
Worried about the use of opioids, she devised a personalized routine consisting of high-THC products for severe pain episodes when she could tolerate some mental fuzziness, and gentler, CBD-dominant products to maintain pain relief.
Although she was not completely free of pain, she managed to endure her treatment without resorting to a single opioid.
"I consider myself incredibly fortunate because I had some prior knowledge about this. Sadly, most patients do not," she remarked.
She hopes her research, and more to come, will help people make better decisions.
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