TABLE 2.
Studies included in this review about chronic cancer pain
| Author (Year), Country | Aims | Study design | Sample | Study findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braun et al. (2017) 33 , U.S.A. | Investigate the extent to which oncology experts view marijuana as having medical value and the range of approaches to clinical decision making around MC | Semistructured interviews | N = 15 oncology experts (10 oncologists, two palliative care physicians, one psychiatrist, one surgeon) | 13 of 15 of oncology experts endorsed MC for the indication of pain. Expert opinion was divided on MC's position in medicine with about half who believed MC to have efficacy comparable to conventional management strategies. Nearly as many viewed it as an adjunct, capable of reducing benzodiazepine and opioid loads |
| Braun et al. (2018) 32 , U.S.A. | Examine beliefs, knowledge, and practices of oncologists regarding MC | Survey | N = 237 oncologists | There was a lack of consensus among oncologists regarding MC as the primary treatment for pain, but >2/3 supported its use as an adjunct to standard pain management strategies. 45.9% reported discussing about MC with patients in the past year, 56.7% of them did not consider themselves sufficiently knowledgeable to make MC recommendations |
| Luba et al. (2018) 34 , U.S.A. | Examine the attitudes, beliefs, and practices of palliative and hospice care providers regarding the use of MC for terminally ill patients | Survey | N = 426 palliative and hospice care providers (345 doctors, 58 nurses) | Majority of palliative and hospice care providers saw MC as helpful in treating pain and end of life generally, and useful as an adjuvant medicine. However, fewer than half (46.4%) have recommended MC in the past. 61% indicated that they would recommend MC for terminal illness regardless of legality |
| Uritsky et al. (2011) 35 , U.S.A. | Assess the knowledge, experience, and views of hospice professionals regarding the use of MC in terminally ill patients | Survey | N = 209 hospice professionals (13 medical doctors, 131 nurses, 34 social workers) | 90% hospice care professionals supported the legalization of MC for palliative symptoms. Pain control was the most commonly perceived reason for marijuana use though not a currently FDA‐approved indication. Majority would neglect ethical implications with smoking MC if it was controlling symptoms |
| Zolotov et al. (2018) 41 , Israel | Understand the views of physicians who regularly encounter cancer and chronic pain patients on MC and its possible integration into their clinic, and identify potential underlying factors that influence these perceptions | Semiconstructed interviews | N = 24 physicians (six pain medicine, nine oncology, nine family medicine) | On one hand, physicians abiding by the evidence‐base paradigm of healthcare did not see MC as a conventional medicine. Some physicians viewed patients as drug addicts and feared recreational use of medically acquired cannabis. On the other hand, physicians saw MC as a viable treatment for pain and suffering especially for cancer patients |
| Zolotov et al. (2019) 42 , Israel | Identify underlying factors that influence physicians' intentions to recommend MC to patients | Survey and some interviews | N = 247 physicians (98 family physicians, 80 oncologists, 69 pain medicine) | Respondents had higher intentions to recommend MC to the cancer patient than the chronic pain patient. There were more psychosocial (nonmedical) factors associated with intentions to recommend MC to the chronic pain patient |
Note: This review uses the standardized abbreviation to encompass “medical cannabis,” “medicinal cannabis,” “medical marijuana,” “cannabis for therapeutic purposes,” “cannabis,” “cannabinoids,” and “marijuana.”
Abbreviation: MC, medicinal cannabis.