The Use of Tetrahydrocannabinol Is Associated with an Increase in Survival Time in Palliative Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study.

Introduction: Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is often prescribed for ambulatory palliative patients to improve sleep quality and appetite and to reduce anxiety, stress, and pain. However, it is not known if THC has also an effect on the mortality of these patients. Method: The objective was the impact of THC on mortality of ambulatory palliative patients. For this purpose, data from the palliative treatment documentation from 5 ambulatory palliative care teams in Brandenburg, Germany were used for this analysis. Survival time was calculated for 3 groups of patients: (1) without THC; (2) with THC in a low dosage (≤4.7 mg per day); and (3) THC in higher doses (≥4.7 mg per day). The analysis was done for 2 cohorts of patients. Cohort 1: all patients with a survival time of at least 7 days after inclusion in specialized ambulatory palliative care (SAPC) and cohort 2: a subgroup of patients with a survival time between 7 and 100 days. Kaplan-Meier curves were created, and multivariate analysis was done to investigate the impact of THC on mortality. Results: A total of 9,419 patients with a survival time of at least 7 days after inclusion in SAPC were included in the analysis (cohort 1). 7,085 among them had a survival time between 7 and 100 days (cohort 2). In both cohorts, survival time was significantly prolonged by THC, but only when the daily THC dose was above the median of 4.7 mg. Survival time was 15 days longer in cohort 2 (40 vs. 25 days), when more than 4.7 mg THC were prescribed per day. Conclusion: Use of THC is associated with a significant increase in survival time in ambulatory palliative patients which survive longer than 7 days the initiation of THC prescription and which use of THC >4.7 mg/day.

[Patient-reported outcomes in chronic diseases under treatment with cannabis medicines : Analysis of the results of the Copeia survey]. / "Patient-reported outcomes" bei chronischen Erkrankungen unter Therapie mit Cannabisarzneimitteln : Analyse der Ergebnisse der Befragung von Copeia.

BACKGROUND: The survey of Copeia captured early 2022 patient-reported outcomes (PRO) in Germany under cannabis medicinal product (CAM) therapy, with particular attention to symptoms, symptom changes, indications, side effects, dosages, and cost bearers. GOAL: This study investigated the question of whether associations emerge from the results that could play a role in the indication and treatment monitoring of CAM in chronically ill patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A standardized questionnaire was administered online nationwide in dialogue form over a 15-week period to collect itemized symptoms and PRO. Recruitment was supported by pharmacies, prescribing physicians, and patient associations. Inclusion criteria included physician-prescribed CAM therapy. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Of 1582 participants, 1030 data sets (65%) could be completely analyzed. There was a heterogeneous patient population, whose common feature was disease chronicity. The frequency distribution of symptoms showed a homogeneous pattern for the respective indications, in which the most frequent six (pain 71%, sleep disturbance 64%, stress/tension 52%, inner restlessness 52%, depressive mood 44% and muscle tension 43%) seem to have a special significance. According to subjective assessment, quality of life improved significantly in 84% of all participating patients. CONCLUSION: A symptom matrix (SMX) composed of different symptoms seems to play a special role in CAM therapy to improve the quality of life of chronically ill patients, regardless of the underlying disease. The SMX could contribute to the identification of an indication and to targeted treatment monitoring.

[Cannabis as medicine, aura and valebo - a new perspective on self-medication and medical support for chronic diseases]. / Cannabis als Medizin, Aura und Valebo : Eine neue Sicht auf Selbstmedikation und ärztliche Begleitung bei chronischen Erkrankungen.

BACKGROUND: It is known from medical practise that patients and physicians can have positive experiences with little-researched and unapproved interventions. Under certain circumstances, effects even go beyond the placebo effect. METHOD: Based on casuistics of chronic pain patients, the question of whether self-medication in the context of a good doctor-patient relationship can optimize the efficacy of cannabinoids and reduce dose and undesirable side effects is investigated. Using medicinal cannabis as an example, a new view on self-medication and medical support is proposed. RESULTS: The casuistics show that daily requirements (average of approximately 75 mg) for Δ9tetrahydocannabinol (THC) doses can be reduced. An unaccompanied and risky self-medication can be transformed into an effective therapy with significantly less medical cannabis. The approach consists of tracing the self-medication that has taken place to date and picking up the patient where he has "discovered" something for himself. The specific mode of action of cannabis in chronic diseases can be explained by mechanisms in the endocannabinoid system. Cannabinoids relieve patients in the context of stress, anxiety and depression, which are always involved in chronic diseases. In their physical as well as psychological sensations, patients are strengthened and eventually guided into self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: If the patient has "discovered" cannabis as medicine for himself and can draw on positive experiences, something very powerful can emerge. In addition to the specific effects demonstrated by studies, there are non-specific effects or contextual factors at work that tend to be neglected in evidence-based medicine. These non-specific effects include, above all, those factors through which a patient gives a (subjective) meaning to a specific intervention. A new view on self-medication and medical support in chronic diseases is needed.

[Position paper on medical cannabis and cannabis-based medicines in pain medicine]. / Ein Positionspapier zu medizinischem Cannabis und cannabisbasierten Medikamenten in der Schmerzmedizin.

Since March 2017, the prescription of medical cannabis at the expense of the statutory health insurance is possible after approval by the respective medical services. Chronic pain is the most common indication, as health claims data and the accompanying survey show. From the point of view of the law, a prescription is indicated in cases of serious illness, missing or not indicated established therapeutic approaches and a not entirely remote prospect of improvement of the illness or its symptoms. This describes a broader indication spectrum than can currently be based on randomised controlled clinical trials. There is weak evidence of low efficacy for neuropathic pain. For pain related to spasticity and cancer-related pain there is evidence of improvements in quality of life, but effects on pain are of little relevance. For all other indications, only an individual therapeutic trial can be justified based on the available external evidence. However, this usually corresponds to the demand of "a not entirely remote prospect" of a noticeably positive effect of medical cannabis. It is also problematic that almost no long-term studies for the application and efficacy of flowers and extracts are available.Current knowledge on the use of cannabis-based drugs and, more clearly, medical cannabis for chronic pain is insufficient. The increase in the number of countries with marketing authorisations or exemptions for medicinal cannabis or cannabis-based drugs for chronic pain will also pave the way for larger empirical and population-based studies that will further improve the evidence base of research and clinical use.

[Dronabinol in geriatric pain and palliative care patients : A retrospective evaluation of statutory-health-insurance-covered outpatient medical treatment]. / Dronabinol bei geriatrischen Schmerz- und Palliativpatienten : Eine retrospektive Auswertung der ambulanten kassenärztlichen Therapie.

BACKGROUND: Geriatric patients often suffer from a long history of pain and have a limited life expectancy. Cannabinoid receptor agonists like dronabinol may be an effective, low-risk treatment option for geriatric patients with chronic pain. OBJECTIVES: The effectiveness and side effects of dronabinol therapy in geriatric patients are analyzed. The effects of the approval requirement are presented. METHODS: In our retrospective monocentric cohort study, the study population comprised all geriatric patients over the age of 80 years who were treated in our office since the cannabis law came into effect on 10 March 2017 until 17 July 2018 (evaluation date). Geriatric, nonpalliative pain patients (group A) and geriatric palliative patients (group B) were investigated. The basis of the evaluation was a questionnaire sheet that we use in our office with details of dosages, pain intensity, treatment effects and side effects from dronabinol therapy. RESULTS: By using dronabinol, 21 of the 40 geriatric patients (52.5%) achieved pain relief of more than 30%, 10% of the patients of more than 50%. On average, about four symptoms or side effects related to previous treatment were positively influenced. 26% of patients reported side effects. The rejection rates on the part of the health insurances were 38.7% (group A) and 10.3% (group B). CONCLUSIONS: This study is one of the few analyses of the use of Dronabinol in geriatric patients. We show that cannabis-based drugs (in this case dronabinol) are an effective, low-risk treatment option that should be considered early in therapy. Regarding the indication spectrum, further clinical studies and an approval-free test phase are necessary.

[High-dose dronabinol treatment vs. medicinal cannabis flowers]. / Hochdosisdronabinoltherapie vs. Medizinalcannabisblüten.

This article reports a case of pronounced, chronic lumboischialgia, which was not satisfactorily controlled by conventional analgesic treatment. The level of pain under high-dose dronabinol treatment with oral and inhalative administration as well as the way to reimburse the cost of medicinal cannabis flowers, the treatment success and criteria of the economic prescription procedure are presented.

[The use of cannabis-based drugs in pain and palliative medicine : Joint online questionnaire conducted by the Professional Association of Physicians and Psychotherapists in Pain and Palliative Medicine in Germany (BVSD), the German Pain Society, and the German Society for Pain Medicine (DGS)]. / Einsatz von Cannabisarzneimitteln in der Schmerz- und Palliativmedizin : Gemeinsame Online-Umfrage des Berufsverbands der Ärzte und Psychotherapeuten in der Schmerz- und Palliativmedizin in Deutschland e. V. (BVSD), der Deutschen Schmerzgesellschaft e. V. und der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Schmerzmedizin e. V. (DGS).

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: An online questionnaire about cannabis medication (CAM) was sent to German pain therapists 1 year after the introduction of the new act "Amendment to drug and other regulations" of 06.03.2017. RESULTS: A total of 120 pain therapists participated. Information on 1560 treated patients was analyzed. Only in the case of Dronabinol and Sativex® did at least 50% of physicians feel well informed. Requests for the coverage of costs were sent to the statuary health insurance companies for 1521 patients. These requests had already been decided for 1265 patients (83%) at the time of the questionnaire. A total of 457 requests (36.1%) were denied, including 28 requests from palliative care patients. Most of the pain therapists (67.5%) were well informed about Dronabinol, but less so about the other CAM. CONCLUSION: The study shows an information deficit in knowledge and handling of selected CAM among physicians. Given the high rejection rate, there may also be a knowledge gap on the side of the health insurances. From a certain number of patients upwards, the non-interventional accompanying survey required by law was deemed to be barely practicable from both a time and an economical point of view.

Risk factors for surgical site infections in a free-standing outpatient setting.

BACKGROUND: More information about risk factors for surgical site infections in outpatient settings is necessary for creation of surveillance systems in this field. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of surgical site infections (SSI) in an outpatient setting and to investigate whether the risk index of the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System is appropriate for outpatient settings. METHODS: A retrospective cohort design was used to investigate SSI following all hernia repairs and varicose veins operations over a 9-year period in a freestanding outpatient setting. The exposure variables studied were age, sex, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of the patient; duration of operation; performing surgeon's name; type of operation; type of anesthesia; and follow-up period. An univariable and a multivariable analysis were performed to determine risk factors for SSI. RESULTS: A total of 1095 operations were performed: 714 on varicose veins and 381 on hernia repairs. The median follow-up period was 43 days. The crude SSI rate was 1.2% (varicose veins operations, 1.5%; hernia repair operations, 0.5%). According to the results of the logistic regression model, only 1 factor remained significant: Patients with spinal anesthesia were 11 times as likely to develop a SSI as patients with any other type of anesthesia (95% CI, 2.15-200.5). CONCLUSION: The NNIS risk index was not suitable for assessing SSI rates in this outpatient setting and for these specific procedures.