A specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina recently received a grant to quantify the frequency with which cancer patients in this state seek relief from their symptoms by using marijuana.
Erin McClure, a researcher at the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, in December received a $ 150,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute to conduct a unique survey among Hollings’ patients on marijuana use. His team hopes to survey at least 1,000 patients this year. All anonymous data collected through the project will be combined with data collected from 12 other cancer centers across the country, which have also received money to conduct similar research.
The MUSC is one of the only places chosen in the U.S. where marijuana remains illegal, even for medical purposes. But McClure said that even in states where the sale of recreational and medical marijuana has been sanctioned, many doctors simply avoid asking their cancer patients about it.
“It’s not consistent,” said McClure. “This seems to be true across the country, even in states where there is legal access to marijuana. Many providers are not always really comfortable talking to their patients about it. ”
Erin McClure will do research with cancer patients on marijuana use. Provided
Hollings Cancer Center, founded in 1993, is the only cancer center designated by the NCI in the state.
The American Cancer Society does not endorse the use of marijuana for medical purposes, but the group recognizes that many patients need help finding relief from pain associated with cancer and cancer treatment. The group also argues that relegating marijuana to the list of controlled substances in Table I of the US Drug Enforcement Administration restricts the ability of scientists and researchers to further study its various uses and effectiveness.
McClure said the Hollings Cancer Center also did not endorse the use of medical marijuana. Doctors and healthcare professionals are reluctant to recommend illegal activities to their patients, she said.
“Federally, it’s still illegal,” she said. “Doctors are struggling to know what advice to give people around this substance. The information is limited ”.
An exception to this appears to be doctors specializing in lung and throat cancer. These providers tend to ask about marijuana use more often, McClure said, because they should discourage their patients from smoking anything, including marijuana.
There is, of course, a proliferation of substances mixed with marijuana that are outside the fuel category. But because these products remain illegal in South Carolina and are not regulated by federal authorities across the country, it is difficult to say how much cancer patients can benefit from them, said McClure. It is possible that in some cases marijuana is interfering with cancer treatment or that a legal drug may work just as well, if not better, to minimize the side effects of chemotherapy.
“Part of the problem with discovering your safety stems from challenges in determining how much use is problematic. For people who use it recreational, using it multiple times a day can cause problems in their daily lives,” said Kelsey Hudnall of MUSC in The Catalyst . “But for people who use it as often for medical purposes, it may be the only thing that preserves their ability to function normally.”
Participants will be rewarded with a $ 20 gift card for completing the 30-minute survey. Once the project is complete, McClure said he wants to present the discovery to doctors and healthcare professionals who work at the Hollings Cancer Center.
“How can we help them open a dialogue? How can we make this part of a standard admission procedure?” McClure said. “How can we better serve our patients and better equip our providers to talk about it?”
Reach Lauren Sausser at 843-937-5598.