SynthesisSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2023
Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) guidelines: cannabis for psychological symptoms including insomnia, anxiety, and depression.
Synthesis in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Indications of Cannabinoids for the Palliation of Cancer-Associated Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Current oncology reports · 2025Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of medical cannabis outcomes and associations with cancer.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Pooled it
- Cannabis and Cannabinoids in Adults With Cancer: ASCO Guideline.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2024Guideline
- Medicinal cannabis for symptom control in advanced cancer: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial of 1:1 tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Trial
- Cancer-related cognitive impairment in adult cancer survivors: a clinical practice review for healthcare providers.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Review
- Joint Relations Among Cannabis, Sleep, and Affective Symptomatology: A Scoping Review.Current addiction reports · 2026Review
- The Role of Registered Dietitians in Cancer Palliative Care: Responsibilities, Challenges, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration-A Cross-Sectional Survey.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Article
- A cross-sectional survey of the prevalence and patterns of using cannabis as a sleep aid in Canadian cancer survivors.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2025Article
- Cannabis use after a cancer diagnosis in a population-based sample of cancer survivors.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2024Article
- Validation of Shortened Forms of Metacognition Questionnaire-Insomnia and Its Feasibility in the Discrepancy-Cognitive Arousal Model of Insomnia Among Patients With Cancer.Psychiatry investigation · 2024Article
- Supporting gut health with medicinal cannabis in people with advanced cancer: potential benefits and challenges.British journal of cancer · 2024Review
- Medicinal cannabis - has it found a place in palliative care?Palliative care and social practice · 2024Article
- Drug Interactions of Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol in Cannabinoid Drugs.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2023Review
- Should oncologists trust cannabinoids?Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 11 institutions in 7 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeDuring the treatment of cancer, 18% of patients use cannabis for symptom management. Anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances are common symptoms in cancer. A systematic review of the evidence for cannabis use for psychological symptoms in cancer patients was undertaken to develop a guideline.
methodsA literature search of randomized trials and systematic reviews was undertaken up to November 12, 2021. Studies were independently assessed for evidence by two authors and then evaluated by all authors for approval. The literature search involved MEDLINE, CCTR, EMBASE, and PsychINFO databases. Inclusion criteria included randomized control trials and systematic reviews on cannabis versus placebo or active comparator in patients with cancer and psychological symptom management (anxiety, depression, and insomnia).
resultsThe search yielded 829 articles; 145 from Medline, 419 from Embase, 62 from PsychINFO, and 203 from CCTR. Two systematic reviews and 15 randomized trials (4 on sleep, 5 on mood, 6 on both) met eligibility criteria. However, no studies specifically assessed the efficacy of cannabis on psychological symptoms as primary outcomes in cancer patients. The studies varied widely in terms of interventions, control, duration, and outcome measures. Six of 15 RCTs suggested benefits (five for sleep, one for mood).
conclusionThere is no high-quality evidence to recommend the use of cannabis as an intervention for psychological symptoms in patients with cancer until more high-quality research demonstrates benefit.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.