Pain management for post-treatment survivors of complex cancers: a qualitative study of opioids and cannabis
Talya Salz 1, Susan Chimonas 1, Sankeerth Jinna 1, Jessica Brens 2, Anuja Kriplani 3, Andrew Salner 4, Guilherme Rabinowits 5, Beatriz Currier 6, Bobby Daly 3, Deborah Korenstein 7
- 1Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, New York, NY 10017, USA.
- 2Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Advanced Practice Providers, New York, NY 10065, USA.
- 3Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA.
- 4Hartford Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology, Hartford, CT 06106, USA.
- 5Moffit Cancer Center, Department of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
- 6Miami Cancer Institute, Department of Medicine, Miami, FL 33176, USA.
- 7Mount Sinai Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, New York, NY 10001, USA.
Affiliationer
Aim: We aimed to understand experiences with opioids and cannabis for post-treatment cancer survivors. Patients & methods: We conducted seven focus groups among head and neck and lung cancer survivors, using standard qualitative methodology to explore themes around 1) post-treatment pain and 2) utilization, perceived benefits and perceived harms of cannabis and opioids. Results & conclusion: Survivors (N = 25) experienced addiction fears, stigma and access challenges for both products. Opioids were often perceived as critical for severe pain. Cannabis reduced pain and anxiety for many survivors, suggesting that anxiety screening, as recommended in guidelines, would improve traditional pain assessment. Opioids and cannabis present complex harms and benefits for post-treatment survivors who must balance pain management and minimizing side effects.
