Rural and regional Queenslanders receiving end of life care will soon be able to participate in medicinal cannabis trials to help manage pain and other symptoms, thanks to a new research program.
Mater’s Director of Palliative and Supportive Care Professor Phillip Good said palliative care patients can experience a range of distressing and difficult to manage symptoms and those living in rural and regional areas had fewer options for generalist and specialist healthcare services.
“Access to trials of new medications, such as medicinal cannabis, to reduce symptom problems, has been limited in regional, rural, and remote Queensland to date,” said Prof Good, who is also Mater’s Director of Cancer Services.
“Our aim is to establish a Queensland Palliative Care Research Tele-trial Platform that enables all Queenslanders irrespective of their geographical location, equitable access to clinical trials during palliative care.”
“We are collaborating with the Australian Tele-trials program and Queensland Regional Clinical Trial Coordinating Centre (QRCCC) to develop this tele-trial platform.”
Professor Good said participants would be recruited through the tele-trial platform, a model that has been used for clinical trials in cancer patients but never in a palliative care setting.
“This would mean that patients across regional Queensland will be able to participate in this and future palliative care clinical trials,” he said.
Prof Good said research showed that patients with advanced cancer who had early access to palliative care experienced improved outcomes, specifically improved survival, well-being and symptom control.
He said the new tele-trial model would deliver a range of benefits, including:
- Equitable access to clinical trials for all Queensland palliative care patients, including early access to novel treatments.
- Invaluable insight from patients into the role of medicinal cannabis in palliative care. Knowledge gained in the tele-trials would inform the way patients and carers are educated about medicinal cannabis, fostering improved patient and family choice on end of life care options.
- Respond to the need of clinicians for evidence to guide medicinal cannabis prescribing.
- Improved access to medications for symptom control in palliative care patients as well as potential changes to clinical care and health policy.
Prof Good said Mater had been studying medicinal cannabis in palliative care patients with advanced cancer since 2018, and currently leads a national collaborative research program funded by grants from the Medical Research Future Fund and National Health and Medical Research Council.
Three randomised placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) have been launched using medicinal cannabis products with differing formulations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and Cannabidiol (CBD).
Findings from the first RCT, using a CBD oil formulation, found the product was safe and well-tolerated by patients but was not more effective than a placebo in relieving overall symptoms distress.
Prof Good said more research was needed of different medicinal cannabis formulations before a product could be registered, and accessed at an affordable rate by patients.
Recruitment for the third RCT would be conducted through the tele-trial platform.
“Previously, recruitment has been limited to patients in Brisbane, because of resource constraints, lack of infrastructure, and logistical challenges, such as transport of investigational products,” Prof Good said.
“The tele-trial platform will close this equity and access gap and enable all Queenslanders to benefit from innovative healthcare options and novel treatments.”
