ASPO Abstracts
Cannabis use and stage at cancer diagnosis among adult cancer patients and survivors in Southern California
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2023
Abstract Body:
Purpose To examine the association between cancer stage at diagnosis and cannabis use or consideration of use since diagnosis. Methods Patients receiving care at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center between 2018 and 2019 participated in an online survey between March and June of 2022. Of the 5,901 patients invited, 954 provided responses (16.2% response rate), which were weighted. The outcome of interest, cannabis use or consideration of use (binary; Yes-No) was assessed with two self-reported items. The exposure of interest, self-reported cancer stage at diagnosis, was defined as Stage II, Stage III, or Stage IV vs. Stage I (referent) and dichotomized as non-advanced (Stages I/II, referent) or advanced (Stages III/IV). We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between the stage at diagnosis and cannabis use, adjusting for potential confounders (age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, employment, and cancer type). Results Mean age of respondents was 62.8 years (SD=0.6) and 58.3% identified as female. The majority (57.7%) identified as non-Hispanic White and 15.8% as Hispanic/Latinx. Nearly half (41.6%) of respondents reported cannabis use or considered use since diagnosis, the majority of whom (63.6%) were diagnosed with non-advanced stages. Advanced stage cancer diagnosis was associated with a 60% higher odds of cannabis use or consideration of use [adjusted OR (AOR)=1.60; 95% CI=1.08, 2.37] compared to non-advanced stage cancer. When assessed individually, stage at diagnosis was not statistically significantly associated with cannabis use or consideration [AOR=0.93 (95%CI=0.57-1.50), 1.60 (95%CI=0.97-2.64), and 1.49 (95%CI=0.85-2.63)] for Stage II-IV, respectively, when compared to Stage I. Discussion Cancer patients and survivors have an interest in and report use of cannabis during their cancer care. Patients diagnosed at advanced stages of cancer may consider and/or use cannabis more than those diagnosed at non-advanced stages of cancer. Further research is needed to understand the impacts of cannabis use on patients receiving cancer treatment and as a tool to ameliorate side effects, though federal regulations pose challenges.
Keywords: Cancer survivors; cancer treatment; cannabis