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Nabilone Relieves Many Advanced Ca Symptoms
by Bruce JancinInternal Medicine News / May 1, 2007
SAN ANTONIO -- The synthetic cannabinoid nabilone appears to be of substantial benefit in managing multiple symptoms common among patients with advanced cancer, thereby minimizing problems caused by polypharmacy, Dr. Vincent Maida reported at a breast cancer symposium sponsored by the Cancer Therapy and Research Center.
His retrospective observational study showed that nabilone (Cesamet) resulted in a significant reduction in the overall cancer-related distress score on the validated Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS).
The specific symptoms included in the scale that showed significant improvement in response to this off-label use of nabilone were pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, and constipation, as well as improved appetite, according to Dr. Maida, chief of palliative medicine at William Osler Health Centre, Etobicoke, Ont.
He was quick to point out in an interview that a nonrandomized single-center study such as this one must be viewed as hypothesis generating and nondefinitive. But he added that the results do suggest the potential for a substantially larger role for nabilone in cancer management than its current approved indication, which is limited to the treatment of refractory chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
"In my experience, I find that cancer patients are required to take multiple agents to manage a cluster of symptoms and side effects, which impacts negatively on their overall quality of life, comfort, and dignity," he observed. "The findings from this study suggest a role for cannabinoid agonists such as nabilone in the optimization of pain and symptom management in cancer patients."
Source: Nabilone relieves many advanced Ca symptoms | Internal Medicine News | Find Articles at BNET
