Can cannabis oil ease cancer symptoms? new study investigates
NCT ID NCT03948074
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested three types of medicinal cannabis oil (with different levels of THC and CBD) against a placebo in 91 cancer patients. The goal was to see which oil, if any, helps with pain, nausea, anxiety, and sleep problems. Each patient tried multiple oils and a placebo in a random order to find the best match for their symptoms.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Medicinal cannabis oil (THC and CBD combinations)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help identify which cannabis oil blend works best for individual cancer patients to ease symptoms like pain, nausea, anxiety, and sleep problems.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 91 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The study is completed but findings are not yet widely confirmed.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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91 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2021
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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19 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * At least 19 years of age; * Competent to consent to participation in the study; * Must have at least one of the following cancer-related symptoms or a cancer treatment-related symptoms which is causing distress: Nausea; Pain; Anxiety; Sleep Disturbance; (based on ESAS-r-SN score ≥4/10) * Symptom(s) are expected to be stable throughout the duration of the study; * Expecting to live for at least 4 months; * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status of 0 to 2; * Willing to commit to not taking cannabis in any form other than the study products for the duration of the study; * Able to reliably communicate with the research team, either directly or through a translator; * Accessible by telephone. Exclusion Criteria: * Their current symptoms are not related to cancer or cancer treatment; * They have a current cannabis or other substance dependence or misuse disorder as defined by the revised Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test (CUDIT-R) score of 8 or above; * They admit to cannabis use for any purpose (recreational or medicinal) more than once a week during the month prior to study entry; * They have a history of psychosis with, or other intolerance to cannabis or cannabinoids; * They have an active psychiatric disorder likely, in the investigator's opinion, to interfere with adherence to study protocol; * They have any concurrent condition likely to interfere with completion of the study protocol, such as allergy to any component of the study products; * They are pregnant or planning to get pregnant or they are lactating females; * They are women of childbearing potential (\<2 years after last menstruation) not using effective, non-hormonal means of contraception (intrauterine contraceptive device, barrier method of contraception in conjunction with spermicidal); * They have reproductive potential and fail to use adequate birth control; * They are on another clinical trial or expect to start one prior to study completion; * They have oral disease which might impair trans-mucosal absorption, e.g. oral mucositis; * They are taking medications that might be affected by an interaction with cannabinoids in a clinically significant manner (CYP1A1, 1A2, and 1B1) and cannot be switched to a different medication; * They live in an environment with high risk of theft or diversion of study products; * They have a concurrent condition that requires changes to current medications within the 48 days on study treatment. * They have serious cardiovascular disease such as ischemic heart disease, including arrhythmias, poorly controlled hypertension, severe heart failure, recent (within 6 months) MI. * They have first degree relatives with schizophrenia. * They have history of epilepsy or repeated seizures or brain metastases. * They are unable or unwilling to refrain from operating heavy machinery for the duration of their participation in this study. * They are unable or unwilling to refrain from consuming alcohol for the duration of their participation in this study. * They expect to leave Canada during the study period, as the study products cannot be taken across any international border (land, sea or air).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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BC Cancer - Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia, V8R 6V5, Canada
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BC Cancer Center of the North
Prince George, British Columbia, V2M 7E9, Canada
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BC Cancer Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia, V5Z 4E6, Canada
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CancerCare Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 0V9, Canada
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Kingston Health Sciences Centre - Kingston General Hospital Site
Kingston, Ontario, K7L 2V7, Canada
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Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre
Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8L6, Canada
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Santé Cannabis
Montreal, Quebec, H3Z 2Y5, Canada
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Tom Baker Cancer Centre
Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N2, Canada
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