Nabilone Effect on the Attenuation of Anorexia, Nutritional Status and Quality of Life in Lung Cancer Patients
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2017-07-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Anorexia is common symptom in cancer patients and is associated with increased morbidity and
mortality. However timely detection with objective tools is necessary to establish the
diagnosis of anorexia and to assess the magnitude of change over time. The anorexia
pathophysiology is not clearly understood and treatment options are limited. Anecdotal
historical benefits of smoking marijuana on nausea, pain and anorexia led to studies with
marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids from Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main active agent in
marijuana. The endogenous cannabinoid system with its receptors CB1 and CB2 regulate appetite
in four functional levels: (1) limbic system (hedonistic quality), (2) hypothalamus (appetite
stimulant), (3) intestinal, and (4) tissue adipose.
Nabilone, a synthetic analogue of THC approved in Mexico for nausea and vomiting induced by
chemotherapy is also used in palliative care units for clinical improvement in increased
appetite patients in terminal stages, however, there are no clinical trials demonstrating
this benefit.