Citations

Abstract Background The legal climate for cannabis use has dramatically changed with an increasing number of states passing legislation legalizing access for medical and recreational use. Among cancer patients, cannabis is often used to ameliorate adverse effects of cancer treatment. Data are limited on the extent and type of use among cancer patients during treatment and the perceived benefits and harms. This multicenter survey was conducted to assess the use of cannabis among cancer patients residing in states with varied legal access to cannabis. Methods A total of 12 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, across states with varied cannabis-access legal status, conducted surveys with a core questionnaire to assess cannabis use among recently diagnosed cancer patients. Data were collected between September 2021 and August 2023 and pooled across 12 cancer centers. Frequencies and 95% confidence intervals for core survey measures were calculated, and weighted estimates are presented for the 10 sites that drew probability samples. Results Overall reported cannabis use since cancer diagnosis among survey respondents was 32.9% (weighted), which varied slightly by state legalization status. The most common perceived benefits of use were for pain, sleep, stress and anxiety, and treatment side effects. Reported perceived risks were less common and included inability to drive, difficulty concentrating, lung damage, addiction, and impact on employment. A majority reported feeling comfortable speaking to health-care providers though, overall, only 21.5% reported having done so. Among those who used cannabis since diagnosis, the most common modes were eating in food, smoking, and pills or tinctures, and the most common reasons were for sleep disturbance, followed by pain and stress and anxiety with 60%-68% reporting improved symptoms with use. Conclusion This geographically diverse survey demonstrates that patients use cannabis regardless of its legal status. Addressing knowledge gaps concerning benefits and harms of cannabis use during cancer treatment is critical to enhance patient-provider communication.

314 Background: Prostate cancer patients (PC) face an elevated risk of both developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The American College of Cardiology Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) for ASCVD predictions may lack accuracy. Methods: Males ≥18 years, diagnosed with PC between 2005-2012 at a hybrid academic-community practice were included. Using XGBoost algorithm we developed using a training subset of the cohort (50% train + 25% test), ranked 33 covariates (including demographic, treatment-related and social determinants of health (SDOH) information) for ASCVD prediction using SHAP (Shapley additive explanations) values. The top 10 predictors were transformed in a predictive equation using logistic regression models. This equation was tested in the cohort validation subset (25%), and subsequently compared to the PCE risk score. Results: We included 1,506 patients, with a median age of 67 (IQR 60-74) years, 13.8% had advanced stage disease (TNM III-IV), 1.5% had high risk PC (Gleason 8-10), and 20.5% received androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Of those, 10.4% had a 10-year ASCVD risk. The PCE had an area under the curve (AUC)=0.61 and underestimated ASCVD in 0.9% (mean risk=20.1% [95% CI 17.2-23.0] vs. mean predicted risk=19.2% [95% CI 18.6-19.8]). The equation pooled from the top-10 predictors of the ML algorithm (C-index=0.78 [95% CI 0.75-0.81]) achieved an AUC=0.71 (Table). Conclusions: Conventional PCE tend to underestimate ASCVD risk in males with PC. A cancer-specific model inclusive of SDOH exhibits good performance for predicting ASCVD risk in this population. [Table: see text]