Marijuana habit not linked to lung cancer – The Oncology Report

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Regular cannabis smokers are no more likely to develop lung cancer than are people who indulge occasionally.

The finding of no significant increased risk held true whether the smokers imbibed once or twice – or more – each day, and regardless of how many years they had smoked, Dr. Li Rita Zhang reported at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research.

The study included data from six case-control studies conducted from 1999 to 2012 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, with a subject pool of 2,159 lung cancer cases and 2,985 controls. All of the studies were part of the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO), an international group of lung cancer researchers with the aim of sharing comparable data from ongoing and recently completed lung cancer studies from different geographical areas and ethnicities.

More: http://www.oncologypractice.com/oncologyreport/news/top-news/single-view/marijuana-habit-not-linked-to-lung-cancer/73840afd2cca226b9e6a9ddc7cb0d039.html

‘Marijuana habit not linked to lung cancer’, Oncology Practice Reports

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“OncologyPractice.com reports today that, “Regular cannabis smokers are no more likely to develop lung cancer than are people who indulge occasionally.” The cancer news site relates the findings of Dr. Li Rita Zhang reported at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research.”

““In an analysis of marijuana smokers that excluded tobacco smokers, there were no significant [cancer rate] differences in any of the comparisons, including habitual vs. nonhabitual use; number of joints smoked per day; duration of up to 20 years or duration of more than 20 years,” OncologyPractice reported.

The information fits in with prior assessments that marijuana smoking does not cause lung cancer.”

http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2013/05/09/marijuana-habit-not-linked-to-lung-cancer-oncology-practice-reports/

Study: No Association Between The Cumulative Consumption Of Cannabis Smoke And The Risk Of Lung Cancer

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“In a recent presentation given at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research, investigators from the university of California, Los Angeles provided the latest data reaffirming that cannabis consumption is not associated with an elevated risk of lung cancer. Below is a summary of the findings from The Oncology Report:

The study included data from six case-control studies conducted from 1999 to 2012 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, with a subject pool of 2,159 lung cancer cases and 2,985 controls. All of the studies were part of the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO), an international group of lung cancer researchers with the aim of sharing comparable data from ongoing and recently completed lung cancer studies from different geographical areas and ethnicities.

Dr. Zhang of the University of California, Los Angeles, performed two analyses. One compared all lung cancer cases and all controls, regardless of concurrent or past tobacco use. Then, to reduce confounding by tobacco, she restricted the analysis to those who had never smoked tobacco.

… When compared with cannabis smokers who also used tobacco, habitual pot smokers had no significant increase in cancer risk. In an analysis of marijuana smokers that excluded tobacco smokers, there were no significant differences in any of the comparisons, including habitual vs. nonhabitual use; number of joints smoked per day; duration of up to 20 years or duration of more than 20 years.

The abstract of the presentation, which concludes “Our pooled results showed no significant association between the intensity, duration, or cumulative consumption of cannabis smoke and the risk of lung cancer overall or in never smokers,” is available online here.

Numerous preclinical studies have documented that cannabinoids possess potent anti-cancer properties, including the inhibition of lung cancer cell growth.”

More: http://enewspf.com/latest-news/health-and-fitness/43037-study-no-association-between-the-cumulative-consumption-of-cannabis-smoke-and-the-risk-of-lung-cancer.html

Medical Marijuana Encouraged For Pets Battling Cancer

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“A veterinarian in Southern California is pushing the idea to help pets with cancer fight pain or regain their appetite by giving them pot.

Medical marijuana supporters argue that pot helps reduce chronic pain and nausea. Veterinarian Dr. Douglas Kramer of VetGuru.com said over the years, he’s talked to hundreds of people who’ve given pot to their pets.

“Medical marijuana might have a therapeutic benefit to help animals, especially those with terminal conditions,” Kramer said. “It’s quite clear that people are using it and it has both good an bad effects and they need to discuss it openly with their vet.”

Kramer is pushing for more research and discussion. And, his idea is starting to get traction. Time Magazine and Mother Jones recently explored the controversial issue.

“If people are thinking to take their own medical marijuana and give it to their dogs in a non-controlled dose, the risk of intoxication is too risky to advocate for that,” UC Davis Veterinary Medical Hospital Dr. Karl Jandrey said.

The American Veterinary Medical Association said more research into the effects of marijuana on animals needs to be done before proceeding with treatment since not all drugs affect humans and animals in the same way.”

http://www.digtriad.com/news/watercooler/article/284229/176/Medical-Marijuana-Isnt-Just-For-Humans

Marijuana May Lower Bladder Cancer Risk – Medscape

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Smoking marijuana might decrease the smoker’s risk for bladder cancer, a new study shows.

Retrospectively analyzing a large database of patients, researchers at Kaiser Permanente in California found that patients who reported cannabis use were 45% less likely to be diagnosed with bladder cancer than patients who did not smoke at all.

“It’s very exciting because bladder cancer is hard to treat,” said Anil Thomas, MD, a urologist at the Southern California Permanente Medical Group…

Dr. Thomas presented the study here at the American Urological Association 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting.

“We know that tobacco smoking is the best established risk factor for bladder cancer,” Dr. Thomas told reporters attending a news conference. “But to date, there are no epidemiologic studies accurately characterizing the association between cannabis use and bladder cancer.”

Dr. Thomas told Medscape Medical News that he first got interested in exploring this topic while doing some laboratory work in which he exposed prostate cancer cells and bladder cancer cells to cannabis.

“The prostate cancer cells did not show an effect and the bladder cancer cells were devastated,” he said.

Some other research has suggested that cannabis might kill other types of cancer cells as well, he said. “I don’t think the full mechanism is known.””

More: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803983

“Association Between Cannabis Use and the Risk of Bladder Cancer: Results From the California Men’s Health Study.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25623697

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/bladder-cancer/

Study Claims Marijuana Tied to Lower Bladder Cancer Risk – Health

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“New research says smoking pot may be less likely to cause bladder cancer than smoking cigarettes.

The finding is potentially valuable, the study authors said, given the ongoing debate over legalizing marijuana for medical purposes.”

More: http://news.health.com/2013/05/10/study-claims-marijuana-tied-to-lower-bladder-cancer-risk/

Marijuana Linked To Lower Bladder Cancer Risk, Study Says

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“People who smoke marijuana may be less likely to get bladder cancer than those who smoke cigarettes, a new study says.

Marijuana, however, remains classified as the most dangerous controlled substance, Schedule 1, alongside heroine and LSD…

“While there is a plethora of scientific evidence establishing marijuana’s safety and efficacy, the scientific clinical trials necessary to gain FDA approval have long been obstructed by the federal government itself…””

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/13/marijuana-bladder-cancer_n_3267486.html

“Association Between Cannabis Use and the Risk of Bladder Cancer: Results From the California Men’s Health Study.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25623697

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/bladder-cancer/

Evidence: Cannabinoid Therapy Reduces Breast Cancer Tumors

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Warning: Many alternative treatments are shams with zero proof. Most alternatives make claims that are not backed up by any evidence or hard empirical medical studies, are are not peer-reviewed.

Peer review means your study and its claims will be vetted by a panel of the best doctors and other medical professionals in that field, for critical review. They will try to find fault in its methodology before publication and its recommendations for possible human treatment.

For any cannabis-based study strong enough to stand up to this critical review, and for it to be published in a major journal within such a field as cancer research, is incredible. That’s exactly how strong the evidence for cannabis medicine is starting to become.

Imagine that. This plant, this “great friend of humanity” which has helped us survive by giving early humans food, fuel, fiber and medicine, and who ancient healers wrote about in 6000 B.C., more than 8,000 years ago, is now coming back to prove itself and to help save us again.

And this time we are starting to find the evidence to back up the claims made for this plant over the centuries…”

http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/02/evidence_cannabinoid_therapy_reduces_breast_cancer.php

Fighting Cancer: Another Study Reveals the Cannabis and Cancer Prevention Link

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Does marijuana cause cancer? Revealing the link between cannabis and cancer yet again, researchers with the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco have released findings that further bolster cannabis as an anti-cancer solution.

The researchers have found a compound in the much-talked-about plant could “halt the spread” of many types of aggressive cancers, including breast cancer.

The Cannabis and Cancer Link

Cannabidiol is the compound, and while it fights cancer cells, it does not produce the high feelings commonly associated with cannabis. Instead, it seems to “switch off” the gene responsible for metastasizing breast cancer.

They reportedly found the compound doesn’t only stop the breast cancer cells from growing, but even causes them to return back to normal cells, cancer-free.”

More: http://naturalsociety.com/study-positive-cannabis-and-cancer-link/

Smoking Marijuana Does Not Cause Lung Cancer

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“New research shows here seems to be something in pot that actually undermines cancer, instead of causing it. — and the media are doing their best to ignore it.

There is a groundswell of attention in the news to marijuana’s role in causing and preventing various types of cancers. Last week, AlterNet published an article from the Marijuana Policy Project about a new study finding that pot smokers have a lower risk of head and neck cancers than people who don’t smoke pot…

Smoking pot doesn’t cause lung cancer. In fact, the study found that cigarette smokers who also smoked marijuana were at a lower risk of contracting lung cancer than tobacco-only smokers…

You’d think it would have been very big news in June 2005 when UCLA medical school professor Donald Tashkin reported that components of marijuana smoke somehow prevent them from becoming malignant.

In other words, something in marijuana exerts an anti-cancer effect!”

More:http://www.alternet.org/story/142271/smoking_marijuana_does_not_cause_lung_cancer