[Cannabis and cannabinoids in palliative care].

Cannabis and cannabinoids are discussed as a potential treatment for a broad spectrum of diseases and symptoms. This article presents current evidence for the use of cannabis and cannabinoids in palliative care and delivers background information. For this purpose recent literature was examined and evaluated. The authors focused on a systematic review and meta-analysis of cannabinoids in palliative care by Mücke et al. Overall, there is no high-quality evidence for the use of cannabis and cannabinoids in palliative care. Cannabinoids may be considered as a therapeutic attempt in the treatment of cancer pain and weight gain in patients with HIV as well as other symptoms (such as nausea and loss of appetite) if established treatments fail. Further studies involving more patients are needed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of cannabis and cannabinoids. However, special conditions in the field of palliative care make it difficult to carry out high-quality studies.