Adverse events associated with the use of cannabis-based products in people living with cancer: A scoping review protocol

Introduction: Cancer is a prevalent and debilitating disease where both the condition and its treatments are associated with symptoms that impact an individual's quality of life. It is common for people living with cancer to seek a range of therapies in addition to, or as an alternative to, their conventional care. Cannabis-based products (CBPs) have become increasingly popular for managing the symptoms of cancer pain, chemotherapy -induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), anorexia, and sleep issues. To date, information about the safety of CBP used by people living with cancer is limited. As such, there is a need to systematically identify and summarise the evidence on adverse events (AEs) associated with the use of CBP experienced by people living with cancer, which is the aim of this review.Methods: The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews will be applied. Included are any type of AEs experienced by people living with a diagnosis of cancer that are associated with medicinal or recreational use of any type or form of CBPs. AEs reported in controlled trials, observational studies, or case reports that are published in English language, peer-reviewed journals are considered. Searches will be conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and AMED. The titles, abstracts and full text of selected citations will be screened by two independent reviewers. Single reviewers will extract data about the study, population/ clinical context, CBP, and AE characteristics, which will be verified by another reviewer. In case of any dis-agreements, consensus will be sought by engaging with other reviewers through discussions. The results will be presented in tabular form accompanied by a narrative summary.Conclusions: The findings of this scoping review will be used to inform the direction of future research that aims to develop evidence-based clinical information about the safe and appropriate use of CBPs by people living with cancer.Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not -for-profit sectors.