Clinical Trial Finds Cannabis Extract Reduces Pain and Improves Sleep, Breathing in Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer

Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the phase III trial involved 40 patients with locally advanced or metastatic lung cancer confirmed by histopathology. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either cannabis extract or a placebo, with dosing gradually increased from 10 mg/day up to 100 mg/day as needed over several weeks.

Pain levels were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), while quality of life was measured through the EORTC QLQ-C30 and its lung cancer-specific module, QLQ-LC13. By the fifth assessment point (T5), the cannabis group reported greater reductions in pain compared to placebo, with a mean VAS score improvement of 5.0 versus 3.7. Similarly, improvements in pain scores on the EORTC scale were higher for those receiving cannabis (47.2 vs 35.7).

While overall quality of life improvements were not statistically significant, researchers found notable differences in insomnia (p = 0.01) and dyspnea (p = 0.02), with patients in the cannabis group reporting better outcomes than those on placebo.

Researchers conclude by saying “cannabis sativa extract may be considered an adjuvant in the management of pain and quality of life in patients with metastatic lung cancer and locally advanced.”