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Background: Little is known about the risks and benefits of cannabis use in the context of cancer care. This study characterized the prevalence, reasons for use, and perceived benefits of cannabis and compared symptoms and perceived risks between those who reported past 30-day cannabis use and those who did not., Methods: Adults undergoing cancer treatment at a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center completed measures of sociodemographic characteristics, cannabis use, use modalities, reasons for use, perceived harms/benefits of use, physical and psychological symptoms, and other substance/medication use. Analyses compared patients who used or did not use cannabis in the past 30 days., Results: Participants (N = 267) were 58 years old on average, primarily female (70%), and predominantly White (88%). Over a quarter of respondents (26%) reported past 30-day cannabis use, and among those, 4.5% screened positive for cannabis use disorder. Participants who used cannabis most often used edibles (65%) or smoked cannabis (51%), and they were younger and more likely to be male, Black, and disabled, and to have lower income and Medicaid insurance than participants who did not use cannabis. Those who used cannabis reported more severe symptoms and perceived cannabis as less harmful than those who did not use cannabis. The most common medical reasons for cannabis use were pain, cancer, sleep problems, anxiety, nausea/vomiting, and poor appetite. Participants reported the greatest cannabis-related symptom relief from sleep problems, nausea/vomiting, headaches, pain, muscle spasms, and anxiety., Conclusions: Patients with cancer who used cannabis perceived benefits for many symptoms, although they showed worse overall symptomatology., Plain Language Summary: Among adults undergoing cancer treatment, 26% reported cannabis use in the past 30 days. Those who used cannabis were more likely to be male and disabled and to have lower income and Medicaid insurance than those who did not use cannabis. Participants most commonly reported using cannabis for pain, cancer, sleep, anxiety, and nausea/vomiting and reported the greatest perceived benefits for sleep, nausea/vomiting, headaches, pain, muscle spasms, and anxiety, yet participants who used cannabis also reported feeling worse physically and psychologically compared to those who did not use cannabis. Participants who used cannabis were more likely to report that cannabis was less risky to their health than alcohol, smoking, and opioids than those who did not use cannabis., (© 2023 American Cancer Society.)

Background: In this first-in-human phase 1b study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02761694) of advanced solid tumors with PIK3CA/AKT/PTEN mutations, the authors investigated the safety and efficacy of the pan-AKT inhibitor vevorisertib (MK-4440; ARQ 751) as monotherapy or with paclitaxel or fulvestrant., Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed, advanced or recurrent, PIK3CA/AKT/PTEN-mutated solid tumors, measurable disease according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤1 received vevorisertib (dose range, 5-100 mg) alone or with paclitaxel 80 mg/m 2 or fulvestrant 500 mg. The primary end point was safety and tolerability. Secondary end points included pharmacokinetics and the objective response rate according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1., Results: Of 78 patients enrolled, 58 received vevorisertib monotherapy, 10 received vevorisertib plus paclitaxel, and nine received vevorisertib plus fulvestrant. Dose-limiting toxicity occurred in three patients (vevorisertib monotherapy, n = 2 [grade 3 pruritic and maculopapular rashes]; vevorisertib plus paclitaxel, n = 1 [grade 1 asthenia]). Across doses, treatment-related AEs occurred in 46 patients (79%) with vevorisertib monotherapy, in 10 patients (100%) with vevorisertib plus paclitaxel, and in nine patients (100%) with vevorisertib plus fulvestrant; and grade 3 treatment-related AEs occurred in 13 (22%), 7 (70%), and 3 (33%) patients, respectively. No grade 4/5 treatment-related AEs occurred. Maximum vevorisertib concentrations were reached 1-4 hours after dosing; the elimination half-life ranged from 8.8 to 19.3 hours. The objective response rate was 5% with vevorisertib monotherapy (three partial responses), 20% with vevorisertib plus paclitaxel (two partial responses), and 0% with vevorisertib plus fulvestrant., Conclusions: Vevorisertib alone or with paclitaxel or fulvestrant had a manageable safety profile, and vevorisertib alone or with paclitaxel had minimal to modest antitumor activity in this patient population with PIK3CA/AKT/PTEN-mutated advanced solid tumors., Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02761694., (© 2023 American Cancer Society.)