Cochrane · systematic review · CD014915
Cannabis‐based medicines and medical cannabis for adults with cancer pain
Häuser, W, Welsch, P, Radbruch, L, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2023 · Cochrane Library
Pain, Palliative and Supportive CareAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
7
current version
GRADE rated
6
No studies
1
Included studies
NR
No studies 1 · 14.3%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 0 · 0%Low 1 · 14.3%Moderate 5 · 71.4%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Cannabis‐based medicines compared with placebo medication for cancer pain
Population: adults with cancer pain
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Proportion of participants reporting no worse than mild pain by 14 days after start of treatment Cannabis‐based medicines vs placebo medication | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
PGIC of much improved or very much improved Cannabis‐based medicines vs placebo medication | RD 0.06 [0.01, 0.12] | 3 studies · 996 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Withdrawals due to adverse events Cannabis‐based medicines vs placebo medication | RD 0.04 [0, 0.08] | 4 studies · 1332 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Mean pain intensity (Numeric Rating Scale 0–10) Cannabis‐based medicines vs placebo medication | no estimate extracted | 4 studies · 1315 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Daily maintenance opioid dosage (mg morphine equivalent) Cannabis‐based medicines vs placebo medication | SMD 0.08 | 3 studies · 970 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Daily breakthrough opioid dosage (mg morphine equivalent) Cannabis‐based medicines vs placebo medication | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 957 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Participants experiencing any serious adverse event Cannabis‐based medicines vs placebo medication | RD 0.02 | 4 studies · 1330 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |