Cancer: Cannabinoids cure cancer?
Cannabinoids, active components of cannabis and its derivatives, exert
palliative effects in patients with cancer by preventing nausea, vomiting and
pain and stimulating appetite. In addition, these compounds inhibit the
growth of tumor cells in laboratory animals (mice and rats). However, at
the moment there is no solid evidence to show that cannabinoids, whether
natural or synthetic, can effectively cure cancer to patients, although
research is carried out around the world to try to prove it. Here cannabis cancer
research
What is cancer?
Cancer is a broad term used for diseases in which abnormal cells multiply
uncontrollably and are often able to invade other tissues, causing metastasis
and high rates of mortality and morbidity.Cancer is not a single disease, but
many: more than 100 different types have been identified from a
histopathological point of view by the WHO and, very likely, there are
hundreds, if not thousands, of types according to molecular and genetic
profiles.
Most cancers are called by the organ or cell type in which it is initiated. In
addition, the different types are usually grouped into the following general
categories:
– Carcinoma: cancer that starts in the skin or in tissues that line or cover
internal organs.
– Sarcoma: cancer that begins in the bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood
vessels or other connective tissue or support.
– Leukemia: cancer that originates in tissues that make up the blood, such as
the bone marrow, and cause the production of a large number of abnormal blood
cells that are incorporated into the blood.
– Lymphoma and myeloma: cancers that start in the cells of the immune system.
– Cancers of the central nervous system: they originate in the tissues of the
brain and spinal cord.
Conclusion: Cancer is a very serious and heterogeneous disease, so
its therapeutic struggle remains a very difficult challenge. Therefore,
cannabinoids may have beneficial effects on some types of cancer, but not
others.
Cannabinoids inhibit the growth of cancer? (Laboratory research)
Virtually all the investigations carried out so far on cannabinoids and cancer
cells have been done using cancer cells grown in the laboratory or in animal models . According to many scientific
studies, different cannabinoids (natural and synthetic) exert a wide range of
inhibitory effects on the growth of cancer cells, including:
– Activation of cell death, through a mechanism called apoptosis.
– Suppression of cell division.
– Inhibition of the formation of new blood vessels in tumors, a process called
angiogenesis.
– Reduction of the chances of cancer cells metastasize to the rest of the body,
preventing cells from migrating or invading neighboring tissues.
– Acceleration of the internal cellular “waste disposal machine”
(process known as autophagy), which can lead to cell death.
Conclusion: Cannabinoids are effective drugs for the treatment of
at least some types of cancer in laboratory animals (mice and rats).
Cannabinoids inhibit the growth of cancer? (Anecdotal evidence
in humans)
As mentioned above, basically all the research done to show if cannabinoids can
cure cancer has been done in the laboratory. Therefore, it is important to
be very cautious when extrapolating these results to real patients, which are
much more complex than a Petri dish or a mouse. Anecdotal reports on the
use of cannabis have historically been useful in providing clues about the
biological processes controlled by the endocannabinoid system and the possible
therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids. In the precise case of cancer there
is a remarkable presence of videos and reports on the Internet arguing that
cannabis can cure cancer. These anecdotal statements may be completely or
partially true in some cases, but in general they remain (at least to date)
weak and obscure. For example:
– It is not known if the (supposed) effect of cannabis was due to a placebo
effect.
– It is not known if the tumor (supposedly) stopped growing due to natural /
endogenous reasons (some spontaneous regressions are due to the antitumor
defenses of the organism).
– It is not known how many patients have taken cannabis and have not obtained
any therapeutic benefit, that is, what is the (supposed) efficacy of
cannabis-based therapy.
– As most patients have probably gone through standard therapy before or
simultaneously with cannabis use, we do not know if the (assumed) effect of
cannabis was due (at least in part) to standard therapy, perhaps reinforced by
cannabis, although we do not have any proof.
– We do not know what are the parameters of tumor progression that have been
monitored and for how long the patient has been followed up. Many
potentially beneficial effects of antineoplastic drugs (or cannabis in this
case) are short-term actions, but what about long-term progression-free
survival and overall survival?
– Cancer is a very heterogeneous disease, and so far no scientist has gathered
a sufficient number of patients to study a certain type of cancer and can
support the idea that cannabinoids are effective drugs for this type of cancer.
Conclusion: Although it is possible (and desirable, of course) that
cannabis preparations have exerted some antineoplastic activity in some
specific patients with cancer, the current anecdotal evidence on this subject
is quite poor and, unfortunately, it is still far from supporting that
cannabinoids they are effective anticancer drugs for large patient populations.
Cannabinoids inhibit the growth of cancer? (Clinical research)
The results published so far are only Phase I of a clinical trial to test whether cannabinoids are safe and
can attenuate cancer in patients. Nine people with recurrent glioblastoma
multiforme, the most aggressive brain tumor, in advanced stage and those who
had previously failed standard therapy received highly purified THC through a
catheter directly into their brain. Under these conditions the
administration of the cannabinoid was safe and could be achieved without
unwanted effects.Furthermore, although statistically significant conclusions
can not be drawn from a small group of patients and without a control group,
the results obtained suggest that some responded, at least in part, to
treatment with THC in terms of decreasing the growth rate of the patient.
tumor, as could be confirmed by image analysis and biomarkers. These
results are encouraging and substantially reinforce the interest in the
potential use of cannabinoids in the treatment of cancer. However, we must
also highlight the need to continue research to optimize the use of
cannabinoids in terms of patient selection, combination with other antitumor
agents and use of other routes of administration.
Conclusion: There are still many unanswered questions about the
potential use of cannabinoids as anticancer drugs, and it is necessary and
desirable that extensive clinical studies be conducted to determine how
cannabinoids can be used, apart from their palliative effects, for the
treatment of cancer patients. Here cannabis cancer research
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