Marijuana patch pain relief studied in cancer patients
NEW YORK, Jan 24 (Reuters Health)
Scientists at the American Cancer Society (ACS) are studying skin patches containing marijuana to see if they can ease cancer pain.
If successful, the patch could be used to deliver controlled doses of cannabinoids through the skin. These compounds are the active ingredients in marijuana that can ease pain, and may also reduce nausea and vomiting that can accompany chemotherapy. In this way it would be similar to the nicotine patch used by smokers trying to kick their cigarette habit.
``It is well known that the active components of marijuana have powerful inhibitory effects on nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite -- all of which are common problems for cancer patients,'' said Dr. Audra Stinchcomb, an assistant professor at the Albany College of Pharmacy in New York, in a statement.
Stinchcomb was awarded a $361,000 ACS grant to head the 3-year study on whether cannabinoids can be absorbed through the skin. If developed, the patch could take up to 10 years to reach the marketplace, the ACS said.
Despite studies showing that smoking marijuana can relieve pain of cancer patients, doctors remain reluctant to prescribe it, even in states that passed ballot measures legalizing its use.
While the drug can produce a feeling of euphoria and ease symptoms, it also contains many of the harmful substances found in tobacco smoke. Furthermore, other drugs can provide similar symptom relief in most patients.
Cannabinoids are already available in a capsule form as dronabinol (Marinol). But many cancer patients cannot tolerate the pill long enough to feel the effects due to nausea and vomiting.
The patch would offer an alternative to taking these pills or smoking marijuana.
In a statement, the ACS said that ``while we do not condone the smoking of marijuana, we are open to and support innovative research that can lead to alternative treatments to help cancer patients manage pain and side effects of treatment and improve their quality of life.''
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