Patient-reported use of marijuana and cannabinoid (CBD) oil in patients with renal cell carcinoma undergoing systemic therapy.
5084 Background: The use of cannabis and cannabinoid related products has become increasingly common among cancer patients. We sought to gather independent data from online kidney cancer patient communities to assess frequency of use of marijuana and CBD-oil and estimate influence on treatment duration and side-effects. Methods: The KCCure online survey was performed between August 1, and September 30, 2019. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize patients who self-report using marijuana, their systemic treatments, and interactions with their oncologists. Results: Out of 1,136 patients responding, 411 patients were on systemic therapy with a median age of 57 years (28-86). Of the 441 patients with systemic therapy, 223 patients (54%) were male. There was no difference in gender distribution or race among patients who reported using or not using marijuana and or CBD oil. 93 patients (21%) reported using marijuana or CBD oil and 35 patients (8.5%) reported using both. Patients using marijuana and/or CBD oil had a median age of 55.7 +/- 1.1 years compared with patients not using (65.1 +/- 6.9 years). The median treatment duration was 23.9+/-2.4 months for patients using marijuana and/or CBD oil versus 26.4+/- 1.9 months for patients not using these supplements (p=0.437). Patients using marijuana and/or CBD oil were more likely to have bothersome side effects from therapy (p=0.001) and were less likely to talk to their doctor about their situation (p=0.044). The median NCCN distress score in patients using marijuana and/or CBD oil was 49.5+/-25.7 versus 51.4+/-24.0 (p n.s.). No correlation was seen with the use of steroids, anti-diarrhea drugs, anti-nausea-drugs, hormone substitution or other drugs used to manage side effects. Conclusions: Marijuana and/or CBD oil are used by a significant number of patients. No benefit/harm on treatment duration and use of concomitant drugs to control side effects and severity was seen. Patients using marijuana and/or CBD oil were more likely to report bothersome treatment related side effects and were more willing to report their side effects to their provider. As cannabinoids become more mainstream and legal in a number of states, more research is needed to better understand the impact these supplements may have on patients.