A Prospective Survey Study of Radiation Therapy Patient Interest in Psychedelic Research

• Published in: International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics Vol. 120; no. 2; pp. e264 - e265
• Main Authors: Park, J., Ku, E.C.Y., Harada, G.K., Hoyt, M.A., Nagasaka, M., Harris, J.P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01-10-2024
• ISSN: 0360-3016
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2024.07.591

About 25-30% of patients diagnosed with cancer have a comorbid mental health illness, most commonly mood disorders (depression/anxiety). Early work investigating psychedelic medications such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in the cancer population has shown promising benefits in mood, spirituality, and demoralization outcomes. Due to potential for misuse and its negative stigma, there may be bias against the use of psychedelics. In this project, the primary objective was to describe patient interest in psychedelic therapy.
In this single-institution prospective study, an English-language survey was created. Patients who were undergoing or recently completed radiation therapy were approached to enroll. To address the primary objective, patients were asked, “Research is growing in the potential for psychedelics to help treat conditions like anxiety, depression, and existential suffering. If you have experienced any of these issues, would you be interested in treatment with psychedelic therapy?” Surveys of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp-12), and Demoralization Scale (DS) were also completed. Descriptive statistics for demographic characteristics and 2-sample t test for group comparisons were used.
43 patients consented, enrolled, and completed the survey. Median age was 61 (range = 30-87). 65% of patients were male, and 42% (n = 18 patients) indicated they would be interested in psychedelic applications, 39% (n = 17) answered “no” and 19% (n = 8) were “not sure”. Of those who were not interested or unsure, “need more information” was the most commonly-cited reason (40%, 10/25 patients). Other reasons included “fear of bad trip” (28%), “no need” (28%), “not interested” (28%), “do not want to use psychedelics” (24%), and “do not want to use drugs” (16%). None selected “it would not work” as a reason. Of the 70% (n = 30) of patients who denied prior use of psychedelics, 30% (n = 9) indicated they would be interested. Secondary surveys demonstrated that patients who were interested in psychedelic therapy had higher levels of anxiety (8.2 vs 4.4, P<0.01) and depression (7.4 vs 4.5, P<0.03), worse spiritual well-being (22.9 vs 34.1, P<0.0001), and higher demoralization score (26.7 vs 20.0, P<0.001) compared to those who were not interested or unsure.
The therapeutic use of psychedelics to treat cancer-associated mental health conditions is in its nascent stage. Curiosity for psychedelic research is prevalent – it was observed in 42% of patients undergoing radiation therapy in this study. Patients with higher levels of psychosocial distress, including symptoms of anxiety, depression, lack of spiritual well-being, and demoralization showed more interest in psychedelic medication.