Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29550881›Full record

Trial reportSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2018

The effect of nabilone on appetite, nutritional status, and quality of life in lung cancer patients: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

Jenny G Turcott, María Del Rocío Guillen Núñez, Diana Flores-Estrada, Luis F Oñate-Ocaña, Zyanya Lucia Zatarain-Barrón, Feliciano Barrón, Oscar Arrieta

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02802540 (Nabilone Effect on the Attenuation of Anorexia, Nutritional Status and Quality of Life in Patients With Anorexia Associated With Advanced Lung Cancer), which is not on this map. Cited by 62 papers, 18 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
62citing papers in PubMed, 18 pooled it
16.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02802540 phase2 / phase3unknown statusnot on this map

Nabilone Effect on the Attenuation of Anorexia, Nutritional Status and Quality of Life in Patients With Anorexia Associated With Advanced Lung Cancer: Randomized Double Blind Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorInstituto Nacional de Cancerologia de MexicoRan2014 to 2017Enrolled78ConditionsNon-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Anorexia, Cachexia, Weight LoseArmsNabilone, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

62 citing papers in PubMed, 18 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 116 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Cannabis and Cannabinoids in Adults With Cancer: ASCO Guideline.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2024
    Guideline
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  7. Cannabis-based medicines and medical cannabis for adults with cancer pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023
    Pooled it
  8. Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) guidelines: cannabis for psychological symptoms including insomnia, anxiety, and depression.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023
    Pooled it
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  16. Guideline
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  19. Cancer cachexia: molecular basis and therapeutic advances.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026
    Review
  20. Cannabis produces acute hyperphagia in humans and rodents via increased reward valuation for, and motivation to, acquire food.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article

2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Jenny G TurcottHead of Thoracic Oncology Unit and Experimental Oncology Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología de México (INCan), San Fernando #22, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, México, D.F., Mexico.
María Del Rocío Guillen NúñezPain Management Clinic, National Cancer Institute of Mexico (INCan), CDMX, Mexico.
Diana Flores-EstradaHead of Thoracic Oncology Unit and Experimental Oncology Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología de México (INCan), San Fernando #22, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, México, D.F., Mexico.
Luis F Oñate-OcañaClinical Research Division, Surgery Division, National Cancer Institute of Mexico (INCan), CDMX, Mexico.
Zyanya Lucia Zatarain-BarrónHead of Thoracic Oncology Unit and Experimental Oncology Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología de México (INCan), San Fernando #22, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, México, D.F., Mexico.
Feliciano BarrónHead of Thoracic Oncology Unit and Experimental Oncology Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología de México (INCan), San Fernando #22, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, México, D.F., Mexico.
Oscar ArrietaHead of Thoracic Oncology Unit and Experimental Oncology Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología de México (INCan), San Fernando #22, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, México, D.F., Mexico. ogar@unam.mx.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1164-3779
Instituto Nacional de Cancerología · MX

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOver one half of the patients diagnosed with advanced lung cancer experience anorexia. In addition to its high incidence, cancer-induced anorexia promotes the development of the anorexia-cachexia syndrome, which is related to poor clinical outcomes. Recently, drugs derived from cannabinoids, such as Nabilone, have been recognized for their appetite improvement properties; however, clinical trials to support their use in cancer patients are necessary.

methodsThis is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the effect of Nabilone vs. placebo on the appetite, nutritional status, and quality of life in patients diagnosed with advanced Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (NCT02802540).

resultsA total of 65 patients from the outpatient clinic at the National Institute of Cancer (INCan) were assessed for eligibility and 47 were randomized to receive Nabilone (0.5 mg/2 weeks followed by 1.0 mg/6 weeks) or placebo. After 8 weeks of treatment, patients who received Nabilone increased their caloric intake (342-kcal) and had a significantly higher intake of carbohydrates (64 g) compared to patients receiving placebo (p = 0.040). Quality of life also showed significant improvements in patients in the experimental arm of the trial, particularly in role functioning (p = 0.030), emotional functioning (p = 0.018), social functioning (p = 0.036), pain (p = 0.06), and insomnia (p = 0.020). No significant change in these scales was seen in the control group.

conclusionNabilone is an adequate and safe therapeutic option to aid in the treatment of patients diagnosed with anorexia. Larger trials are necessary in order to draw robust conclusions in regard to its efficacy in lung cancer patients.

Indexed as

AntiemeticsAppetiteDouble-Blind MethodDronabinolFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeAntiemeticsDronabinolnabiloneAnorexiaEnergy consumptionLung cancerOrexigenic agentQuality of life

Identifiers

PMID29550881
OpenAlexW2789258012

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.