Two-thirds of oncologists surveyed believed medical marijuana was as good as or better than standard treatments for poor appetite or cachexia, but less than half felt it was equal to or better than standard antinausea therapies.
The data revealed a “clinically problematic discrepancy” between medical oncologists’ their perceived knowledge about medical marijuana use and their actual beliefs and practices, said Dr. Braun of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and her associates.
“Although our survey could not determine why oncologists recommend medical marijuana, it may be because they regard medical marijuana as an alternative therapy that is difficult to evaluate given sparse randomized, controlled trial data,” they wrote.
“[The results] highlight a crucial need for expedited clinical trials exploring marijuana’s potential medicinal effects in oncology (e.g. as an adjunctive pain management strategy or as a treatment of anorexia/cachexia) and the need for educational programs about medical marijuana to inform oncologists who frequently confront questions regarding medical marijuana in daily practice.”
No funding was declared. Two authors declared royalties and honoraria from medical publishing and a research institute, and one declared fees for expert testimony.
SOURCE: Braun I et al. J Clin Oncol. 2018 May 10. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2017.76.1221.