Vol. 49 No. 2 February 2015

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

223

Original Article

Patterns of Use of Medical Cannabis Among Israeli Cancer Patients: A Single Institution Experience Barliz Waissengrin, MD, Damien Urban, MD, Yasmin Leshem, MD, Meital Garty, BA, and Ido Wolf, MD Institute of Oncology (B.W., M.G., I.W.), Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv; Institute of Oncology (D.U., Y.L.), Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan; and Sackler Faculty of Medicine (I.W.), Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Abstract Context. The use of the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa L.) for the palliative treatment of cancer patients has been legalized in multiple jurisdictions including Israel. Yet, not much is currently known regarding the efficacy and patterns of use of cannabis in this setting. Objectives. To analyze the indications for the administration of cannabis among adult Israeli cancer patients and evaluate its efficacy. Methods. Efficacy and patterns of use of cannabis were evaluated using physician-completed application forms, medical files, and a detailed questionnaire in adult cancer patients treated at a single institution. Results. Of approximately 17,000 cancer patients seen, 279 (