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Purpose: To characterize cannabis use among cancer patients, we aimed to describe 1) patterns of cannabis use across multiple cancer sites; 2) perceived goals, benefits, harms of cannabis; and 3) communication about cannabis., Methods: Patients with 9 different cancers treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center between March and August 2021 completed an online or phone survey eliciting cannabis use, attitudes, and communication about cannabis. Multivariable logistic regression estimated the association of cancer type and cannabis use, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and prior cannabis use., Results: Among 1258 respondents, 31% used cannabis after diagnosis, ranging from 25% for lung cancer to 59% for testicular cancer. Characteristics associated with cannabis use included younger age, lower education level, and cancer type. In multivariable analysis, compared to lung cancer patients, gastrointestinal cancer patients were more likely to use cannabis (odds ratio [OR] 2.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.25-5.43). Cannabis use in the year prior to diagnosis was strongly associated with cannabis use after diagnosis (OR 19.13, 95% CI 11.92-30.72). Among users, reasons for use included difficulty sleeping (48%); stress, anxiety, or depression (46%); and pain (42%). Among respondents who used cannabis to improve symptoms, 70-90% reported improvement; < 5% reported that any symptom worsened. Only 25% discussed cannabis with healthcare providers., Conclusions: Almost a third of cancer patients use cannabis, largely for symptom management. Oncologists may not know about their patients' cannabis use. To improve decision making about cannabis use during cancer care, research is needed to determine benefits and harms of cannabis use., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Cannabis products, including the cannabinoids CBD and THC, are rising in popularity and increasingly used for medical purposes. While there is some evidence that cannabinoids improve cancer-associated symptoms, understanding regarding appropriate use remains incomplete., Purpose: To describe patient experiences with medical cannabis with focus on use contexts and patients' reported benefits and harms., Methods: A standardized intake form was implemented in a dedicated medical cannabis clinic at an NCI-designated cancer center; data from this form was abstracted for all initial visits from October 2019 to October 2020. We report descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, and multivariate logistic regression., Results: Among 163 unique new patients, cannabis therapy was commonly sought for sleep, pain, anxiety, and appetite. Twenty-nine percent expressed interest for cancer treatment; 40% and 46% reported past use of CBD and THC, respectively, for medical purposes. Among past CBD users, the most commonly reported benefits were less pain (21%) or anxiety (17%) and improvement in sleep (15%); 92% reported no side effects. Among those with past THC use, reported benefits included improvement in appetite (40%), sleep (32%), nausea (28%), and pain (17%); side effects included feeling "high." Seeking cannabis for anti-neoplastic effects was associated with receipt of active cancer treatment in both univariate and multivariate analysis., Conclusion: Cancer patients seek medical cannabis to address a wide variety of concerns despite insufficient evidence of benefits and harms. As more states move to legalize medical and recreational cannabis, cancer care providers must remain aware of emerging data and develop knowledge and skills to counsel their patients about its use., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: Despite growing evidence supporting the benefits of yoga for cancer-related symptom management, yoga usage among cancer survivors is low. To translate the evidence of yoga benefits into community practice, it is critical to understand interest in yoga as well as barriers and preferences that influence yoga usage among cancer survivors., Method: We conducted a cross-sectional survey study among cancer survivors, 18 years or older, with a primary diagnosis of cancer, and receiving treatment or follow-up care at outpatient clinics at five regional academic cancer center sites. We collected data and performed bivariate and multivariable analyses on self-reported yoga usage and interest in and barriers to practicing yoga, as well as preferred location and time for yoga practice., Results: Of 857 participants, 70.0% had never practiced yoga and 52.3% were interested in practicing yoga. Among those interested, 52.5% had never practiced yoga. Lower interest was independently associated with being male (odds ratio [OR] = 0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.20-0.44, p < 0.001), unemployed (OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.39-0.91, p = 0.016), and white (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.23-0.78, p = 0.005). Commonly cited barriers among those who were interested but had never practiced were not aware of yoga benefits (36.3%), difficulty motivating (28.7%), experiencing symptoms (22.9%), and not enough time (22.0%). Participants indicated "on-site and at a studio near home" (41.5%) as preferred location and evenings (3-8 pm, 34.0%) as preferred time for yoga practice., Conclusion: Although more than 50% of patients indicated interest in practicing yoga, use of yoga is low among cancer survivors. Barriers and patient preferences for yoga practice need to be addressed to design effective yoga programs for this population., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature.)