CANnabinoids in Pediatric ONCology (CAN-PONC)

A Randomized, Double-Blind Tolerability Trial of Cannabinoids for Symptom Management in Children With Cancer: the CAN-PONC Trial

CANnabinoids in Pediatric ONCology is a randomized, double blind, adaptive clinical trial looking at the tolerability of cannabinoids in children with cancer across 3 Canadian children's hospitals.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Cancer; Childhood Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: MPL-001; Drug: MPL-005; Drug: MPL-009

Detailed Description

This is a multi-centered, pragmatic, double-blind, adaptive, dose-escalation study to establish the tolerability of Cannabis Herbal Extracts (CHE) containing different ratios of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Study arms will contain the following ratios THC:CBD 1:25 (arm 1), 1:5 (arm 2) and 1:1 (arm 3). CAN-PONC will enroll 20 participants recruited into each arm, for a total of 60 study participants.

To inform the dose for the arm containing the most THC, this study will take place in two stages. In Stage One: The first 20 participants will be randomized 1:1 into arm 1 and arm 2. Once 20 participants have been recruited, trial recruitment will halt until the last participant reaches the maintenance phase, the maximum THC dose at which less than 30% of participants reported dose limiting toxicities (Max-D30) has been established, the remaining 40 recruited participants will be randomized 1:1:2 into arm 1, arm 2 and arm 3 in Stage Two of this study.

All arms consist of three phases: baseline phase (no interventional product for two weeks), treatment phase (dose escalations for eight weeks), and a maintenance phase (maximum tolerated dose for four weeks).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60
• Phase: Phase 2; Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Lauren Kelly, PhD; Phone Number: 204-242-3179; Email: lauren.kelly@umanitoba.ca

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 4 years to 18 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Ages 4-17 years old at the time of enrollment
2. Diagnosed with relapsed or refractory solid or hematologic malignancy including brain tumours
3. Currently receiving active cancer treatment or supportive and palliative care
4. Estimated survival of at least 4 months at the time of enrollment

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of cardiovascular disease, severe hepatic or renal impairment defined by alanine transaminase (ALT)/ aspartate aminotransferase (AST) more than 5x upper limit of normal (ULN), creatinine more than 5x ULN or glomerular filtration rate (GFR less than) <60 mL/min/1.73 m273m2, unstable/unmanaged arrhythmias, uncontrolled hypertension with blood pressure above 99th centile for age or history of myocardial infarction
2. Nabilone or other cannabis-based products use (including for recreational purposes) within the past 2 weeks or planned nabilone use for the duration of their enrollment in the trial. Current use/continued use of recreational cannabis, or not willing to abstain from recreational cannabis use during the trial
3. Anyone who is pregnant or breast/chest-feeding throughout the duration of the study or has the intention to become pregnant within 3 months of study completion
4. Participation in other clinical trials that prohibit the concurrent use of cannabis
5. Children with a personal or family history of schizophrenia or psychotic disorders, substance use disorder or allergy to cannabinoids or cannabis
6. Unwilling or unable to use effective form of contraception and refrain from driving motorized vehicles (cars, motorcycles, boats, etc.) throughout the study period
7. Anyone who is currently receiving cell therapies or immune checkpoint inhibitors

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm 1. High-CBD arm (MPL-001); High-CBD arm (MPL-001) a cannabidiol-enriched cannabis herbal extract which contains a 1:25 ratio of THC:CBD.	Drug: MPL-001; High-CBD arm (MPL-001) a cannabidiol-enriched cannabis herbal extract which contains a 1:25 ratio of THC:CBD. The MPL-001 oil is produced by MediPharm Labs, each ml contains 50mg CBD and 2mg THC.
Experimental: Arm 2. Medium-CBD arm (MPL-005); Medium-CBD arm (MPL-005) a cannabidiol-enriched cannabis herbal extract which contains a 1:5 ratio of THC:CBD.	Drug: MPL-005; Medium-CBD arm (MPL-005) a cannabidiol-enriched cannabis herbal extract which contains a 1:5 ratio of THC:CBD. The MPL-005 oil is produced by MediPharm Labs, each ml contains 25mg CBD and 5mg THC.
Experimental: Arm 3. Balanced arm (MPL-009); Balanced arm (MPL-009) a balanced 1:1 ratio of THC:CBD.	Drug: MPL-009; Balanced arm (MPL-009) a balanced 1:1 ratio of THC:CBD. The MPL-009 oil is produced by MediPharm Labs, each ml contains 25mg CBD and 25mg THC.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Incidence of adverse events (Tolerability)	Reported through study completion	14 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain intensity	Pain will be measured using Faces Pain Scale-Revised reported by the participants daily throughout the study. Pain will be reported for each study visit as a percentage change from the weekly average documented at baseline.	daily for 14 weeks
Symptom burden	Symptom burden is measured using the score of Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi) assessed three times a week throughout the study and will be reported as a weekly average and percentage change from baseline.	3 times per week for 14 weeks
Quality of life (child)	Pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQLTM) will be assessed weekly throughout the study	once per week for 14 weeks
Sleep (hours per night)	Sleep, will be reported as the number of hours per night, measured using Actigraphy and/or parent report, will be reported as an average over a one-week time period.	daily for 14 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Manitoba
• Collaborators: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); Canadian Cancer Society (CCS)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Rod Rassekh, MD, University of British Columbia; Principal Investigator: Bruce Crooks, MD, Dalhousie University; Principal Investigator: Adam Rappoport, MD, The Hospital for Sick Children

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 13, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): March 6, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 29, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 22, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: pediatrics; cannabis; CBD; THC; cannabinoids
• Other Study ID Numbers: CAN-PONC

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: No. Summary level data may be available from the CAN-PONC steering committee following research ethics board approval.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No