The Quebec Cannabis Registry: a pharmacovigilance and effectiveness study on the use of medical cannabis in cancer patients.

Authors

null

Antonio Vigano

McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada

Antonio Vigano , Michelle Canac-Marquis , Rihab Gamaoun , Pierre Beaulieu , Andrée Neron , Yola Moride , Marc O Martell , Julie Desroches , Jordi Perez

Organizations

McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada, Centre Hospitalier de L'Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada, YOLARX Consultants and Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada, McGill University, Quebec, QC, Canada, Centre Hospitalier De L'universite De Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada

Research Funding

Other
College des Medecins de Quebec - Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabis - Canopy Growth

Background: The Quebec Cannabis Registry (QCR) was launched in 2015 to allow physicians to prescribe medical cannabis (MC) in the province of Quebec, Canada. This study aimed to investigate the safety and effectiveness of MC in cancer patients using pharmacovigilance data prospectively collected for up to 24 months. Methods: Patients were enrolled in the QCR between May 2015 and October 2018 and followed every 3 months. Study outcomes included adverse events (AE), pain severity and interference (Brief-Pain Inventory), wellbeing (Revised-Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale) and overall health scale (EQ5D5L) at baseline and at each follow-up (F-UP). Significance of changes over time were assessed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: Out of the 2991 patients enrolled in the QCR, 358 (12.8%) were cancer patients (mean age 57.7 (± 14.6); 171 (47.8%) males). The main cancer types were breast (16.2%), lung (11.7%), leukemia (11.5%) and colorectal (11.2%). MC was prescribed primarily for pain (72.1%), anxiety (4.7%), nausea (4.5%), anorexia (3.9%), and insomnia (3.1%). A total of 13 patients (3.6%) reported AE with only three being serious (one unrelated to MC: stroke; and two possibly related: diarrhea, from CBD oil overdose and pneumonia from smoking MC). Mean scores significantly (p < 0.05) improved between baseline and 3 months F-UP for pain severity (4.8 ± 1.5 vs 4.1 ± 1.8), pain interference (4.6 ± 1.8 vs 3.8 ± 1.7), and the overall health scale (60 ± 21 vs 71 ± 18). Well-being scores also significantly improved between baseline and 6 months F-UP (4.4 ± 2.1 vs 3.5 ± 2.8). Conclusions: Population-based data shows that cancer patients can benefit safely and effectively from MC as a complementary treatment, when prescribed and monitored under medical-nursing supervision.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Symptoms and Survivorship

Track

Symptom Science and Palliative Care

Sub Track

Palliative Care and Symptom Management

Citation

J Clin Oncol 38: 2020 (suppl; abstr 12109)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2020.38.15_suppl.12109

Abstract #

12109

Poster Bd #

397

Abstract Disclosures

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