{"id":85921,"date":"2025-10-01T07:49:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T13:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=85921"},"modified":"2025-10-01T07:49:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T13:49:32","slug":"can-psilocybin-help-advanced-cancer-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/can-psilocybin-help-advanced-cancer-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"Can psilocybin help patients with advanced cancer?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Researchers
Researchers are studying whether psilocybin can help cancer patients who are coping with anxiety and depression. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can psilocybin help people with advanced cancer<\/a> who are coping with anxiety, depression, fear of death and loss of hope.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the key question that a large national clinical trial<\/a> aims to answer.<\/p>\n

The trial, which is taking place at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a> and at New York University, is exploring whether the psychedelic compound in \u201cmagic mushrooms\u201d can help cancer patients.<\/p>\n

For more information about the Psilocybin Therapy in Advanced Cancer trial, please contact the project manager, Mary Mancuso, at mary.mancuso@cuanschutz.edu<\/a>. Phone: 303.724.5729<\/a>.<\/div>\n

The National Cancer Institute is funding the trial and researchers are continuing to enroll patients. The study is the nation\u2019s largest clinical trial exploring psilocybin use in cancer patients.<\/p>\n

When people think of psychedelic mushrooms, many may think of wild trips full of swirling colors, dreamlike states or terror-filled encounters with imaginary beings.<\/p>\n

But in recent years, medical experts have been exploring whether psychedelics \u2014 including psilocybin \u2014 can help people who are coping with treatment-resistant depression. The cancer study focuses on a subset of these people: advanced cancer patients who have anxiety that is also fueling depression.<\/p>\n

Why is there a need for new therapies to support cancer patients coping with depression?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dr. Stacy Fischer<\/a>, a geriatric and palliative care specialist at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a>, is leading the psilocybin clinical trial with two other experts: Jim Grigsby<\/a>, who has a doctorate in psychology and is a professor at University of Colorado Denver, and Dr. Steven Ross, a clinical professor of psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

Fischer said additional research on psychedelics, like psilocybin, is vital because some people do not respond well to traditional therapies.<\/p>\n

\u201cAntidepressant medications, like SSRIs, often have no benefit or very little benefit for these patients,\u201d said Fischer, who is also a professor of Medicine-Internal Medicine<\/a> at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are real limits to our current pharmacological treatments,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n

As for psychotherapy, it can have \u201cmodest benefits\u201d for some patients, Fischer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s often a longer process, and especially when people aren\u2019t feeling well, it can be really hard to make the gains we\u2019re looking for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Advanced cancer also makes it difficult for patients to use exercise to clear the clouds of depression.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are facing physical challenges,\u201d Fischer said. \u201cWhen your body can no longer do the exercise, that\u2019s another thing to grieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

How does the psilocybin clinical trial for cancer patients work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Cancer patients in the current clinical trial have three preparatory therapy sessions before they receive a 25-milligram dose of a synthetic form of psilocybin or a placebo. For the eight-hour dosing session, patients enter a quiet, comfortable room, wear eye shades and listen through headphones to a curated playlist of music.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Stacy Fischer co-leads the trial of psilocybin as a treatment for mental health challenges in patients with advanced cancer. Photo by the University of Colorado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two therapists sit with patients throughout the session, encouraging them to fully pay attention to whatever issues may arise. If it seems necessary, the therapists can also administer anti-anxiety medications, in what Fischer called the highly unlikely chance a patient needs them.<\/p>\n

The treatment doesn\u2019t end when patients leave the dosing room. The same therapists meet with patients multiple times for a series of follow-up \u201cintegration\u201d sessions that Fischer said are crucial elements of the treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call it \u2018integration\u2019 because it is an opportunity for patients to integrate the experience of the dosing session into the larger context of their lives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The Center for Psychedelic Research has assumed a major role in training people to facilitate psychedelic-assisted mental health care. The center operates a 16-week program<\/a>, organized by Vivian Shyu, director of education and training in the University of Colorado Denver Center for Psychedelic Research, that is the first in the state approved by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies under the Natural Medicine Health Act<\/a>, passed in 2022.<\/p>\n

Grigsby said the facilitator training program is a vital part of administering psychedelics ethically. The idea, decades old, is that people taking psychedelics have a much better chance for a fruitful experience in a safe physical and social setting, accompanied by individuals with whom they have established trust.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese kinds of interactions contribute to a feeling of security, safety and confidence in the people who are conducting the study,\u201d Grigsby said.<\/p>\n

How do patients respond to psilocybin treatment?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

So, with all the careful preparation, what do patients with advanced cancer experience after taking psilocybin?<\/p>\n

Fischer does not know which patients received the dose of psilocybin versus the placebo and can\u2019t comment on any individual\u2019s experience in the trial.<\/p>\n

\"Jim
Jim Grigsby, PhD professor with the University of Colorado Denver, has a long history of research about the use of psychedelics to treat a variety of mental health issues. Photo by the University of Colorado Denver.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ross\u2019s 2016 study, however, reported in the Journal of Psychopharmacology<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>found that patients quickly experienced less depression, as well as \u201cdecreased cancer-related existential distress, increased spiritual wellbeing and quality of life,\u201d and \u201cimproved attitudes towards death.\u201d<\/p>\n

The effects \u201cpotentially\u201d lasted as long as eight months after treatment, the authors added.<\/p>\n

Some patients in Ross\u2019s study also reported \u201cmystical-type\u201d experiences that contributed to decreasing their symptoms of depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople often describe this experience as \u2018ineffable,\u2019 or beyond words,\u201d Fischer said. \u201cIt\u2019s the idea that we\u2019re all part of something bigger than ourselves, that we are all connected \u2013 and that this isn\u2019t a subjective belief, but an objective reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such reports, often involving people experiencing a loss of ego, have roots that stretch far back in time, Grigsby said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are subjectively very similar to the kinds of experiences that have been reported around the world by people of different religious and philosophical orientations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Research into psychedelics in the 1950s also included descriptions of people having mystical-type experiences. Decades later, Dr. Roland Griffiths<\/a>, professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, documented<\/a> in a 2008 study \u201cspontaneously-occurring mystical experiences\u201d among volunteers who took psilocybin under controlled conditions.<\/p>\n

Volunteers called these mystical excursions \u201camong the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives,\u201d Griffiths and his co-authors wrote, and they \u201cproduced positive changes in attitudes, mood, altruism, behavior, and life satisfaction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exploring psilocybin’s impact on anxiety and depression in advanced cancer patients<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Grigsby emphasized that mystical experiences with psilocybin are \u201crelatively infrequent,\u201d and while they can have \u201cprofound therapeutic effects,\u201d he does not believe they are a prerequisite for people finding relief from anxiety, depression, moral distress and other symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is something about the nature of the psychedelic experience itself that has therapeutic effects,\u201d Grigsby said.<\/p>\n

Warning that \u201calmost anything we can say about that oversimplifies it,\u201d he said psychedelics seem to drive in some people a loss of ego and enhanced connectivity between areas of the brain. The changes also center on neuroplasticity \u2013 the brain\u2019s malleability, which enables it to change thoughts, form new connections and alter perceptions and memories.<\/p>\n

Fischer said the broad scope of research into the therapeutic power of psychedelics puts the lie to the old anti-drug commercial that featured a split screen showing an egg in a pan with no heat under it (\u201cyour brain\u201d) and a frying egg (\u201cyour brain on drugs\u201d).<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, when you look at functional MRIs of what\u2019s happening when people have taken a psychedelic, it\u2019s like their whole brain is lit up with connections,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Cancer-focused psilocybin trial part of broader push to rethink mental health care<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The current trial is far from a one-off. It extends a long line of inquiry about using psychedelics to treat mental health conditions, said Grigsby, who is executive director of the University of Colorado Center for Psychedelic Research<\/a>, where Fischer serves as medical director and director of clinical trials.<\/p>\n

The University of Saskatchewan at Regina (now University of Regina) conducted pioneering research<\/a> on psychedelics as treatments for anxiety and other mental health issues and alcoholism in the 1950s and 60s, said Grigsby, who earned his Master of Arts degree in psychology there in 1976.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found that early on, there had been about a thousand research papers published on the subject, mostly on LSD and mescaline,\u201d Grigsby said.<\/p>\n

That work was stymied in the early 1970s, mostly by political opposition and public fears about drug use, Grigsby said.<\/p>\n

Interest in psychedelics as a treatment for mental health conditions and as an aid in palliative care for patients with debilitating diseases slowly reemerged in the 1990s. For example, in 1992 the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS<\/a>) launched an FDA-approved study<\/a> of the psychedelic MDMA<\/a> to treat \u201cphysical pain and psychological distress\u201d in end-stage cancer patients.<\/p>\n

The principal investigator for the MAPS trial, Dr. Charles S. Grob, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, went on to lead another<\/a> that used psilocybin to treat anxiety in patients with advanced-stage cancer. A third<\/a>, currently underway, studies psilocybin as a treatment for \u201cdemoralization<\/a>\u201d in patients nearing the end of their lives.<\/p>\n

Grigsby, who co-led a trial<\/a> of MDMA-assisted therapy to treat PTSD, co-edited a book<\/a> with Grob that surveys the uses of psychedelics to ease a wide range of mental health challenges posed by anxiety, depression, end-of-life fears, PTSD, and substance use disorders.<\/p>\n

A 2015 a New Yorker<\/em><\/a> article and subsequent book<\/a> by Michael Pollan that examined psilocybin and other psychedelics as treatments for psychiatric disorders stirred the public\u2019s interest in the drugs, Grigsby said. Indeed, Fischer said Pollan\u2019s original article fired in her a \u201csense of excitement,\u201d especially with its stories of patients with serious cancer losing their fear of death after receiving a dose of psilocybin under monitored care.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs clinicians, we bear witness to this, we listen,\u201d said Fischer, who has worked in palliative care for 25 years. \u201cYou want to help to relieve those problems. That has been a real challenge because we don\u2019t have interventions, and our tools are pretty limited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pushing research on psychedelics further<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Fischer, Grigsby and their NYU colleague, Ross, hope to continue advancing research on psychedelics. They are central figures in the ongoing revival of interest in psilocybin as a treatment for mental health challenges.<\/p>\n

Once again, past is prologue. Ross led an influential randomized controlled trial<\/a> in 2016 that showed psilocybin helped to reduce anxiety and depression in patients with advanced cancer.<\/p>\n

Despite its success, a follow-up trial languished for several years until Fischer and Grigsby agreed on the need to push for a grant and joined forces with Ross to craft and get approval for the current study, now in its fourth year.<\/p>\n

Thirty cancer patients of a total target of 50 had received the psilocybin treatment at UCHealth as of mid-August, Fischer said. (The overall enrollment target is 100 patients between CU and NYU.) These patients\u2019 experience is far from the practice decades ago, when people received a psychedelic and then rode out whatever they confronted, often alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times, psychiatrists doing research, in particular with LSD, would just give people the drug and then leave the room,\u201d Grigsby said.<\/p>\n

The expanding universe of psychedelic research: psilocybin for depression<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Meanwhile, UCHealth and the University of Colorado are exploring other therapeutic uses for psychedelics. A trial<\/a> underway, led by Dr. Andrew Novick<\/a>, an assistant professor of psychiatry<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>\u00a0explores whether psilocybin can help relieve symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and anhedonia, or loss of pleasure in everyday activities.<\/p>\n

Fischer said the two trial teams collaborate, sharing dosing rooms, test protocols and a pool of raters \u2013 independent clinicians who validate the accuracy of the studies\u2019 measurements.<\/p>\n

In addition, Fischer is principal investigator for a trial<\/a> of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for patients who are in remission from early-stage breast cancer or ovarian cancer, but fear recurrence of their disease. The University of Colorado Cancer Center and the Cancer League of Colorado provide support for the trial, she said.<\/p>\n

Another potential trial, though not yet funded, would examine using psilocybin and potentially LSD to help treat chronic cancer or back pain in older adults, Fischer said.<\/p>\n

Cautious optimism for the future of psychedelic treatment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

She and Grigsby both acknowledge that stubborn stigmas and especially regulatory hurdles mean that widespread adoption of psilocybin-assisted therapy remains a challenge. But they also believe that careful research and study can turn the tide.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have compelling preliminary evidence to suggest it works,\u201d Fischer said. \u201cI think over time, these stigmas will fall away, especially if we conduct high-quality, rigorous science.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grigsby acknowledged that he is wary of making predictions about psychedelics gaining traction as treatments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was optimistic in the \u201870s,\u201d he said. \u201cBut based on what we know so far, and a lot of associated research, I think it\u2019s going to be a very important approach to treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can psilocybin help people with advanced cancer who are coping with anxiety, depression, fear of death and loss of hope. That\u2019s the key question that a large national clinical trial aims to answer. The trial, which is taking place at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and at New York University, is exploring whether […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2143,"featured_media":85927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8],"tags":[113,28,49,9262,112],"class_list":["post-85921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","category-news","tag-behavioral-health","tag-cancer-care-oncology","tag-cancer-treatment","tag-depression","tag-mental-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCan psilocybin help patients with advanced cancer? 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