Category Archives: Cancer

Marijuana Chemical May Fight Brain Cancer – CBSNews

Posted on by

“The active chemical in marijuana promotes the death of brain cancer cells by essentially helping them feed upon themselves, researchers in Spain report.

Guillermo Velasco and colleagues at Complutense University in Spain have found that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, causes brain cancer cells to undergo a process called autophagy. Autophagy is the breakdown of a cell that occurs when the cell essentially self-digests.

The team discovered that cannabinoids such as THC had anticancer effects in mice with human brain cancer cells and people with brain tumors . When mice with the human brain cancer cells received the THC, the tumor growth shrank.

Two patients enrolled in a clinical trial received THC directly to the brain as an experimental treatment for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme , a highly aggressive brain tumor. Biopsies taken before and after treatment helped track their progress. After receiving the THC, there was evidence of increased autophagy activity.

The findings appear in the April 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The patients did not have any toxic effects from the treatment. Previous studies of THC for the treatment of cancer have also found the therapy to be well tolerated, according to background information in journal article.

Study authors say their findings could lead to new strategies for preventing tumor growth.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500368_162-4913095.html

“Cannabinoid action induces autophagy-mediated cell death through stimulation of ER stress in human glioma cells…These findings describe a mechanism by which THC can promote the autophagic death of human and mouse cancer cells and provide evidence that cannabinoid administration may be an effective therapeutic strategy for targeting human cancers.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673842/

 

Structure-dependent inhibitory effects of synthetic cannabinoids against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced inflammation and skin tumour promotion in mice.

Posted on by

“Whether and how synthetic cannabinoids affect inflammation and carcinogenesis has not been well studied. The present study was thus conducted to assess effects of synthetic cannabinoids on inflammation and carcinogenesis in vivo in mice…

The present results suggest that synthetic cannabinoids, such as JWH-018, -122 and -210, may be used as cancer chemopreventive agents in the future.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23837590

Drug War Blocking Potential Treatments for Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Journal Claims – TIME

Posted on by

“Potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and many other illnesses are being blocked by anti-drug laws, according to a new editorial review published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience.”

169270864 (1a)

 

 

Large Study Finds No Link between Marijuana and Lung Cancer – Scientific American

Posted on by

“…Scientists were therefore surprised to learn that a study of more than 2,000 people found no increase in the risk of developing lung cancer for marijuana smokers.

“We expected that we would find that a history of heavy marijuana use–more than 500 to 1,000 uses–would increase the risk of cancer from several years to decades after exposure to marijuana,” explains physician Donald Tashkin of the University of California, Los Angeles, and lead researcher on the project. But looking at residents of Los Angeles County, the scientists found that even those who smoked more than 20,000 joints in their life did not have an increased risk of lung cancer.

The study does not reveal how marijuana avoids causing cancer. Tashkin speculates that perhaps the THC chemical in marijuana smoke prompts aging cells to die before becoming cancerous. Tashkin and his colleagues presented the findings yesterday at a meeting of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego.”

More: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=large-study-finds-no-link

Marijuana Smoking Not Linked To Cancer or Lung Damage, Researchers Say

Posted on by
 “Donald Tashkin’s is a tale cannabis pushers like to repeat. The physician and professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine set out to prove — via a study funded by the National Institutes on Drug Abuse — that marijuana is bad for you. Instead, a long-term study found no solid link between marijuana use and lung cancer, in sharp contrast to tobacco terrible effects on health.” 

donald-tashkin.jpg
“Similar findings were repeated all over the world. In a collection and review of studies on marijuana’s effect on the lungs, published in the June issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, Tashkin concludes that compared to tobacco smoking, heavy marijuana use has “relatively small and far lower” risks.

This despite an average joint marijuana having four times the tar of a typical American Spirit. How can this be?

It’s worth remembering that this is not a new development — Tashkin’s long-term study was published in 2006. And well before that — as in the 19th Century, when cannabis tinctures and other marijuana medicines were sold in pharmacies — doctors were prescribing marijuana as a treatment for asthma patients.”

More: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2013/06/marijuana_cancer_annals_of_the_american_thoracic_society.php

Breathe Easy: A Marijuana Study Finds No Lung Cancer Links

Posted on by

“Donald Tashkin‘s is a tale cannabis pushers like to repeat. The physician and professor at UCLA‘s David Geffen School of Medicine set out to prove — via a study funded by the National Institutes on Drug Abuse — that marijuana is bad for you. Instead, a long-term study found no solid link between marijuana use and lung cancer.

Similar findings were repeated all over the world. In a review of studies on marijuana’s effect on the lungs, published in the June issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, Tashkin concludes that compared to tobacco smoking, heavy marijuana use has “relatively small and far lower” risks.”

More: http://www.sfweekly.com/2013-06-19/news/ucla-medical-marijuana-cancer/full/

Poly-ε-caprolactone microspheres as a drug delivery system for cannabinoid administration: development, characterization and in vitro evaluation of their antitumoral efficacy.

Posted on by

“Cannabinoids show promise for the treatment of various medical conditions such as emesis, anorexia, pain, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and glaucoma.

The objective of the present work was to assess the feasibility of developing cannabinoid loaded poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) microparticles prepared by the oil-in-water emulsion-solvent evaporation technique as a suitable dosage form for their administration.

In vitro cell viability studies demonstrated the antitumoral activity of CBD released from microparticles. After 4 and 7 days of incubation, CBD in microspheres significantly inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells by 60% as compared to the 50% attained with free drug.

The results suggest that PCL microparticles could be an alternative delivery system for long-term cannabinoid administration, showing potential therapeutic advantages over free drug.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22580111

Preparation and characterization of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-loaded biodegradable polymeric microparticles and their antitumoral efficacy on cancer cell lines.

Posted on by

“Cannabinoids present an interesting therapeutic potential as antiemetics, appetite stimulants in debilitating diseases (cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis), analgesics, and in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and cancer, among other conditions.

However, despite their high clinical potential, only few dosage forms are available to date. In this paper, the development of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) biodegradable microspheres as an alternative delivery system for cannabinoid parenteral administration is proposed. Tetrahydrocannabinol was encapsulated into biodegradable microspheres by the oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion solvent evaporation method. Several formulations were prepared using different drug:polymer ratios. The influence of antioxidant (α-tocopherol acetate) concentration on the release of THC from the microparticles was studied. Elevated process yield and entrapment efficiencies were achieved.The in vitro drug release studies showed that the encapsulated drug was released over a two week period.

 As THC has shown therapeutic potential as anticancer drug, the efficacy of the microspheres was tested on different cancer cell lines.

 Interestingly, the microspheres were able to inhibit cancer cell proliferation during the nine-day study period.

 All the above results suggest that the use of biodegradable microspheres would be a suitable alternative delivery system for THC administration.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23773072

Turned-Off Cannabinoid Receptor Turns on Colorectal Tumor Growth – MDAnderson

Posted on by

“Researchers find CB1 suppresses tumors, a new potential path for treatment, prevention.”

 “New preclinical research shows that cannabinoid cell surface receptor CB1 plays a tumor-suppressing role in human colorectal cancer, scientists report in the Aug. 1 edition of the journal Cancer Research.

CB1 is well-established for relieving pain and nausea, elevating mood and stimulating appetite by serving as a docking station for the cannabinoid group of signaling molecules. It now may serve as a new path for cancer prevention or treatment.

“Potential application of cannabinoids as anti-tumor drugs is an exciting prospect, because cannabinoid agonists are being evaluated now to treat the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy,” DuBois said.

 “Turning CB1 back on and then treating with a cannabinoid agonist could provide a new approach to colorectal cancer treatment or prevention.”

Cannabinoids are a group of ligands that serve a variety of cell-signaling roles. Some are produced by the body internally (endocannabinoids). External cannabinoids include manmade versions and those present in plants, most famously the active ingredient in marijuana (THC).”

More:  http://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/news-releases/2008/turned-off-cannabinoid-receptor-turns-on-colorectal-tumor-growth.html

Turned-off Cannabinoid Receptor Turns On Colorectal Tumor Growth – CB1 Suppresses Tumors, A New Potential Path For Treatment, Prevention

Posted on by

“New preclinical research shows that cannabinoid cell surface receptor CB1 plays a tumor-suppressing role in human colorectal cancer, scientists report in the Aug. 1 edition of the journal Cancer Research.

CB1 is well-established for relieving pain and nausea, elevating mood and stimulating appetite by serving as a docking station for the cannabinoid group of signaling molecules. It now may serve as a new path for cancer prevention or treatment.

“Potential application of cannabinoids as anti-tumor drugs is an exciting prospect, because cannabinoid agonists are being evaluated now to treat the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy,” DuBois said. “Turning CB1 back on and then treating with a cannabinoid agonist could provide a new approach to colorectal cancer treatment or prevention.”

Cannabinoids are a group of ligands that serve a variety of cell-signaling roles. Some are produced by the body internally (endocannabinoids). External cannabinoids include manmade versions and those present in plants, most famously the active ingredient in marijuana (THC).”

More: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/117055.php