Cannabis - marihuana stimuleert eetlust en verbetert smaak voor kankerpatienten. Artikel update 19 december 2011
26 februari 2011: Bron: Ann Oncol. 2011 Feb 22.
Marihuana - cannabis verbetert de eetlust en de smaak van kankerpatienten. Dit blijkt uit een gerandomiseerde maar kleinschalige studie. Toch bevestigt ook deze studie wat al langer bekend is dat cannabis een hulp kan zijn voor mensen met kanker. Medscape wijdt een groot artikel aan deze relatief kleine studie. Klik hier voor het artikel van medscape.
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (cannabis) may palliate altered chemosensory perception in cancer patients: results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial.
Ann Oncol. 2011 Feb 22. [Epub ahead of print]
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol may palliate altered chemosensory perception in cancer patients: results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial.
Brisbois TD, de Kock IH, Watanabe SM, Mirhosseini M, Lamoureux DC, Chasen M, Macdonald N, Baracos VE, Wismer WV.
Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A pilot study (NCT00316563) to determine if delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can improve taste and smell (chemosensory) perception as well as appetite, caloric intake, and quality of life (QOL) for cancer patients with chemosensory alterations.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adult advanced cancer patients, with poor appetite and chemosensory alterations, were recruited from two sites and randomized in a double-blinded manner to receive either THC (2.5 mg, Marinol(®); Solvay Pharma Inc., n = 24) or placebo oral capsules (n = 22) twice daily for 18 days. Twenty-one patients completed the trial. At baseline and posttreatment, patients completed a panel of patient-reported outcomes: Taste and Smell Survey, 3-day food record, appetite and macronutrient preference assessments, QOL questionnaire, and an interview.
RESULTS: THC and placebo groups were comparable at baseline. Compared with placebo, THC-treated patients reported improved (P = 0.026) and enhanced (P < 0.001) chemosensory perception and food 'tasted better' (P = 0.04). Premeal appetite (P = 0.05) and proportion of calories consumed as protein increased compared with placebo (P = 0.008). THC-treated patients reported increased quality of sleep (P = 0.025) and relaxation (P = 0.045). QOL scores and total caloric intake were improved in both THC and placebo groups.
CONCLUSIONS: THC may be useful in the palliation of chemosensory alterations and to improve food enjoyment for cancer patients.
Improved Taste and Smell
The current study was conducted in adult patients with any advanced cancer (defined as locally recurrent, locally advanced, or metastatic) of any site except the brain. Patients were randomized to receive either THC 2.5 mg (n = 24) or oral placebo capsules (n = 22) twice daily for 18 days. The authors explain that because this was an exploratory study, the nature of treatment effects and potential effects were unknown. For that reason, 10 participants from each group were assessed at the end of the 18-day study period. Overall, 21 patients completed the trial.
At baseline and following treatment, all patients were interviewed and completed a panel of patient-reported outcomes: the Taste and Smell Survey, a 3-day food record, appetite and macronutrient preference assessments, and a quality-of-life questionnaire.
Half of the patients in the THC group who reported food odors to be unpleasant at baseline did not find them offensive after treatment (P = .083), and nearly three quarters reported a "renewed ability" to discriminate tastes, flavors, and food odors. In comparison, 80% of those in the placebo group found that their taste and smell function had not changed or had worsened.
Quality-of-life and nausea scores were similar for both groups. Overall, THC was well tolerated and there were no differences in adverse events between the 2 groups during the trial period or within the 30-day follow-up period.
"Our findings are important, as there is no accepted treatment for chemosensory alterations experienced by cancer patients," write the authors. They suggest that THC treatment might have multiple clinical benefits for cancer patients, "beyond its indication as a treatment for nausea and its effects on appetite."
This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Alberta Cancer Board, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
