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Marijuana for Cancer Pain

Marijuana in Combination With Opioids for Cancer Pain: A Pilot Study

Status
Terminated
Phases
Phase 1Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00046709
Enrollment
16
Registered
2002-10-02
Start date
2002-09-30
Completion date
2004-10-31
Last updated
2013-10-10

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Neoplasms

Keywords

Cancer pain, All types of cancer except lung cancer

Brief summary

To find out if it is safe and effective to use smoked marijuana in combination with opioids to treat cancer pain. The study will evaluate whether smoked marijuana, when used with opioids, will have an effect on pain relief, and to see if marijuana reduces the side effects of opioids, which include nausea and/or vomiting.

Detailed description

To take part in this study, you must have ongoing cancer pain which is currently being treated with opioids. If you meet all the eligibility criteria you will be admitted to the General Clinical Research Center at San Francisco General Hospital for 9 days. The treatment consists of smoking one marijuana cigarette 3 times a day.

Interventions

Sponsors

University of California, San Francisco
CollaboratorOTHER
Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Have ongoing cancer pain * Be diagnosed with cancer and have at least a six month survival. * Be on a stable dose of opioid medication for at least 2 weeks before enrollment. * Have smoked marijuana on at least 6 occasions in their lifetime prior to enrollment.

Exclusion criteria

You must not: * Start chemotherapy, radiation or biphosphonates during the study, or have received any new intervention with any such agents within the past 4 weeks. * Currently be using smoked tobacco products. * Currently be in methadone treatment. * Have smoked marijuana within 30 days of enrollment. * Be diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. * Have severe heart disease, uncontrolled hypertension, or lung disease. * Currently be receiving treatment with corticosteroids. * Be pregnant or breastfeeding.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Change in level of cancer pain as recorded on a 100mm Visual Analog Scale.

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
Change in level of experimentally induced pain on a 100mm Visual Analog Scale.
Change in nausea and emesis in participants exhibiting these symptoms.
Change in disposition kinetics of opioid analgesics.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026