Patients with colon cancer are 24 times more likely to die within 5 years if they had this habit before diagnosing them

Here’s after all – nearly 53,000 Americans are expected to die of colorectal cancer this year.

The total rate of five-year survival for the disease is about 65%. Some factors significantly affect the prognosis, including the stage of cancer in the diagnosis, its location within the colon and the effectiveness of the treatment.

A new study suggests that a popular custom can adversely affect the results of colon cancer, significantly increasing the risk of death within five years of diagnosis.

“This study adds an organ of growing evidence suggesting that severe use of cannabis can have known impacts on the immune system, mental health behaviors and treatment,” said the author of Raphael Cuomo, an associate professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.

About 17.7 million Americans reported using marijuana daily or almost daily in 2022, an increase related to decriminalization and legalization of pot and increased social acceptance.

About 30% of cannabis users meet the addiction criteria.

Cuomo wanted to see how addiction affects the survival of colon cancer.

He analyzed the electronic health data of approximately 1100 patients with colon cancer treated throughout the University of California health system between 2012 and 2024.

Patients who often used cannabis had a significant higher rate of five-year mortality (55.88 %) compared to those who did not have the same habit (5.05 %).

Moreover, those who diagnosed with marijuana dependence before being hit with colon cancer were 24.4 times more likely to die within five years of diagnosis compared to their peers, Cuomo stated.

The findings were published online this month at the Annals of Epidemiology.

“This is not about the acquittal of cannabis. It is to understand the full range of its influences, especially for people who face serious illnesses,” Cuomo said.

“Hopefully these findings encourage more research – and more nuanced conversations – about how cannabis interacts with biology and cancer care.”

Some studies suggest that cannabis can help patients with cancer manage their symptoms and potentially reduce tumor growth.

Cuomo noted that frequent use of cannabis is often associated with depression, anxiety, and other mental health wars that may endanger a patient’s ability to fully engage in cancer treatment.

“Socioeconomic disadvantage, stigma and concerns of competitive health can further limit access to high -quality oncology care, high quality among patients with [cannabis use disorder]”He wrote on paper.