The Use of Medical Cannabis in Pediatric Palliative Care: A Case Series

Background: Medical cannabis may be a useful tool for the management of treatment-resistant epilepsy and chronic pain, which affect many patients who are in PPC; however, little evidence is available in this setting. Case presentation We aimed to describe a clinical experience, in a setting where high-level evidence may not be obtained. We report our clinical experience in a pediatric palliative care department in Italy. Caregivers reported changes in intensity and frequency of pain and epilepsy events. Six patients received a titrated plant extract of cannabis sativa for 1 year. Only mild and transient adverse events occurred. All patients experienced seizures during the pre-treatment observation period, and obtained a reduction in seizure frequency, although with variable extent while receiving cannabis. In addition, a benefit on pain was observed, based on the caregiver’s evaluation, and a reduction of analgesic use. Conclusion: Our experience suggests that a titrated plant extract preparation of medical cannabis may be useful to control treatment-resistant pain and epilepsy in PPC patients.