Leveraging the National Cancer Institute’s collaborative efforts to understand the benefits and harms of cannabis use among individuals with cancer
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Cannabis use for symptom management among patients with cancer has increased significantly in recent years, with many reporting benefits for pain, anxiety, sleep, nausea, appetite as well as other symptoms. However, rigorous prospective data on the potential benefits and harms of cannabis use in this population are lacking. This Commentary describes a United States National Cancer Institute (NCI)-led initiative addressing this research gap by supporting five prospective observational studies evaluating the benefits and harms of cannabis use among a large, heterogeneous samples of patients with cancer undergoing active systemic treatment. We provide an overview of each study, including cancer type, treatment modalities, inclusion/exclusion criteria, data collection methods, and both patient-reported and cancer-related outcomes.
DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djag057
Authors: Shannon M Nugent, Rebecca L Ashare, Jennifer Cullen, Reina Haque, Jennifer Hu, Richard T Lee, Salimah H Meghani, Arnold L Potosky, Beth A Reboussin, Alfonso Romero-Sandoval, Kimberly G Wagoner, Yan Wang, Brooke Worster, Kelly K Filipski, Andrew N Freedman
Institutions: Oregon Health & Science University, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Houston Methodist, Kaiser Permanente, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, University of Miami, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, City Of Hope National Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Wake Forest University, University of Florida, Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, National Cancer Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Pharmacology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Cancer Institute
OpenAlex ID: W7131673437