Cannabis treatments may be more beneficial for some types of cancer than others. Thus far, research on cannabis as a cancer treatment is mostly limited to cells and animals. Unfortunately, lab rats are not a great substitute for clinical studies in living humans. However, the results of early research on cannabis and cancer are surprisingly positive.
Here are some of the cancers that have been responsive to cannabis in early experiments:
1. Brain cancer
Early studies in both rodents and human cell cultures have found that cannabis compounds halt the growth, spread, and migration of glioma cells. Glioma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer that begins in the brain and spinal cord.
Surprisingly, small human studies have shown signs of success with cannabis treatments. In a phase 2 clinical trial of 21 treatment-resistant glioblastoma patients, researchers treated participants with a pharmaceutical drug containing isolated cannabis extracts.
The drug in question contained both the primary psychoactive in the herb, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)as well as cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is a cannabis chemical which does not cause a psychotropic “high”. The patients were also given temozolomide, which is an oral chemotherapy drug.
In the trial, 83 percent of those treated with cannabis had a one-year survival rate. The survival rate was only 53 percent for those given a placebo. Another 2006 pilot study in glioblastoma found that THC delivered directly into the brain seemed marginally successful at prolonging life, though the study was far from conclusive.
2. Breast cancer
As mentioned above, cannabis compounds have shown success in some cancers more than others. While research on glioma is perhaps the most advanced, scientists around the globe are making headway in the breast cancer field.
Research suggests that CBD, rather than THC, seems to be particularly effective against breast cancer cells.
The anti-cancer effects of CBD were first demonstrated in 2006 when scientists discovered that the cannabinoid slowed the growth of certain breast cancer lines. In the time since researchers have also found that CBD treatment reduces tumor growth in mice that have been grafted with human breast cancer cells. In cell lines, the cannabinoid effectively triggered cancer cells to self-destruct.
3. Colon cancer
Research in mice found that CBD had positive effects against colon cancer. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Molecular Medicine found that CBD treatment reduced polyps and tumors in mice with laboratory-induced colon cancer.
These effects are corroborated by research published in Phytomedicine in 2014, which found that CBD treatment again slowed the proliferation and development of lesions, polyps, and tumors in animals with colon cancer grafts. As with other forms of cancer, the cannabis compound had an effect on cancerous cells and not healthy cells.
4. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
In a 2013 study published in PLoS One, researchers suggest that cannabinoid medicines may be useful in Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The study found that cancer cells associated with the disease were covered in a particular kind of cell receptor that is responsive to THC. That receptor is the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1), and it is the primary binding location for the psychoactive.
While this finding is early and researchers have not yet put cannabis to high-quality tests in Hodgkin’s Disease, this research indicates that there is reason to further explore cannabis medicines as potential anti-cancer agents in lymphoma. Additional animal and human research is sorely needed.
5. Leukemia
Early in 2017, a study conducted at St. George’s University in London discovered that administering cannabis compounds after chemotherapy increased the death of leukemia cells cultured in the laboratory.
The team found that both THC and CBD had anticancer effects, but this potential showed the greatest benefit if the compounds were given after chemotherapy rather than before. Previous preclinical research has discovered that a synthetic THC effectively halts the growth of leukemia cells.
6. Liver cancer
Like all areas of cancer research, human trials of cannabis in liver cancer are needed. However, back in 2015, a Chinese research team found that treatment with a synthetic THC successfully slowed the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cultured human cell lines.
Additional preclinical research has found that cannabinoid receptors are over-expressed on HCC cells, almost as if the cell is calling out for cannabinoid triggers.
7. Lung cancer
While it may seem counterintuitive, early laboratory research has found that cannabis compounds may be helpful in killing lung cancer cells. For example, in 2008, research published in Oncogene found that THC suppressed genes that allow lung cancer cells to develop blood vessels, potentially starving tumors.
Additional research published in 2013 has found that CBD successfully triggers apoptosis in certain lung cancer cell lines, causing the cells to die and decreasing tumor viability.
8. Prostate cancer
Both THC and other non-psychotropic cannabis compounds have shown preliminary effects against prostate cancer cells in the lab. While cell cultures are by no means a concrete comparison to human bodies, early experiments have found that prostate cancer cells have high expression of cannabinoid receptors.
In a 2012 review published in the Journal of Urology suggests that stimulation of cannabinoid receptors on prostate cancer cells (by a compound that fits into the receptors, like THC) decreases the viability of the cells. This is a good sign that cannabinoid medicines may prove to be useful therapies in prostate cancer, pending more comprehensive investigations.
9. Stomach cancer
A 2013 study published in the journal Chemotherapy examined the effects of a synthetic THC against gastric cancer grafts in rodents. The study found that rodents treated with the cannabinoid experienced a whopping 30 percent reduction in tumor growth over 14 days of treatment when compared to controls.
The researchers found that the cannabinoid compound killed cancer cells by triggering apoptosis, or cell suicide. Of course, there are some major differences between lab rats and human patients. None the less, this finding is particularly exciting.
10. Skin cancer
Cannabis as a potential treatment for cancer really took off in popular culture after the well-known activist Rick Simpson came forward about using highly concentrated medical cannabis oil to rid himself of basal cell carcinoma. After releasing his documentary Run from the Cure, Simpson inspired thousands to experiment with cannabis medicines.
While conclusive human trials of cannabis for various types of skin cancer are lacking, preclinical evidence suggests that there may be some science to back up Simpson’s claims. For example, a 2014 paper published in Life Sciences found that THC successfully reduced the amount of skin cancer cells in mice with laboratory-induced melanoma.
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