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June 10, 2026Supportive Care in CancerOpen Access

Cannabinoids and opioid consumption in cancer pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Authors

ICIoana Creangă-MurariuSemmelweis UniversityTATeodora Alexa-StratulatGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and PharmacyMRMatei Ioan RusuGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy

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Overview

Systematic review and meta-analysis assessing cannabinoids' effect on opioid consumption in cancer patients, implying limited benefits.

Key Points

  • This review aims to evaluate the impact of cannabinoids on opioid consumption in cancer pain management.
  • Conducted systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO.
  • Included clinical studies on adult cancer patients undergoing opioid treatment and cannabinoid use.
  • Assessed risk of bias using RoB 2 and ROBINS-I, with certainty of evidence evaluated by GRADE.
  • Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria, with ten included in meta-analysis.
  • Placebo-controlled analyses showed no significant differences for total, maintenance, or breakthrough opioid use.
  • Modest reductions in maintenance opioid doses were found in THC-predominant regimens, but overall certainty of evidence was low.

Cite This Study

Creangă-Murariu et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a29012e6f82f25be989d862https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-026-10856-y
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Also Consider

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  1. 1Indications of Cannabinoids for the Palliation of Cancer-Associated Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis2025 · 8 citations
  2. 2A selective review of medical cannabis in cancer pain management2017 · 170 citations
  3. 3Opioid reduction in patients with chronic non-cancer pain undergoing treatment with medicinal cannabis.2025 · 1 citations
  4. 4Mitigating the Opioid Epidemic: The Role of Cannabinoids in Chronic Pain Management—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms2024
  5. 5Mitigating the Opioid Epidemic: The Role of Cannabinoids in Chronic Pain Management-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms2024