A recent study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that cannabidiol (CBD) may be a safe and effective option for alleviating anxiety in patients with advanced breast cancer. Conducted by Manan M. Nayak, Ph.D., and colleagues at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, the trial explores the potential of CBD to address baseline clinical anxiety in breast cancer patients.

Fifty patients with advanced breast cancer and clinically significant anxiety were randomly assigned to receive either 400 mg of oral CBD (25 patients) or a placebo (25 patients) within 48 hours of a scan to assess tumor burden. The primary outcome measured was the change in anxiety levels, using the "afraid" subscale of the Visual Analog Mood Scale (VAMS), before and two to four hours after ingestion.

While the change in scores between the two groups was numerically greater in the CBD group, the results did not reach statistical significance. However, a notable reduction in anxiety levels was observed in the CBD group compared to the placebo group, specifically when measuring anxiety two to four hours post-ingestion. Importantly, no grade 3 or 4 toxic effects were reported, suggesting that CBD is well-tolerated among patients.

"This preliminary randomised clinical trial establishes CBD as a potential treatment for anxiety in breast cancer patients," the authors stated, adding that their findings lay the groundwork for a larger, more definitive study to test the efficacy of CBD in this context.

It is worth noting that one of the authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry, which may warrant further scrutiny in subsequent trials. Nonetheless, the study offers promising insights into the use of CBD as a therapeutic tool for managing anxiety in cancer patients.