Cannabis versus combination chemotherapy; n = 1 trial in Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Excerpt

The unlicensed use of cannabinoids is increasingly prevalent in patients with cancer despite the negative results of the only in vivo study to assess the anti-tumour effects of marijuana derivatives [1, 2]. In 2017, the FDA issued no fewer than 12 warning letters to companies whose websites claimed that their marijuana-based products had anti-cancer effects (https://​www.​fda.​gov/​NewsEvents/​Newsroom/​PressAnnouncemen​ts/​ucm583295.​htm). In his analysis of US public surveys conducted between 1974 and 2010, Gordon Gaucht describes a worrying diminution in public trust of the scientific community [3]. Disingenuous claims by manufacturers of unlicensed cannabis-based products and the more complex problem of health system distrust lead to potentially fatal treatment decisions being made by some patients [1], (https://​www.​fda.​gov/​NewsEvents/​Newsroom/​PressAnnouncemen​ts/​ucm583295.​htm). We wish to highlight a case of Hodgkin lymphoma for which standard treatment was delayed by the patient in favour of unlicensed cannabinoid therapy. …