When you purchase through links on our site , we may take in an affiliate commission . Here ’s how it mould .
Research into the possible medical benefits of cannabis has exploded in recent years , raising one intriguing interrogation : Could cannabis treat cancer ?
It may sound far - fetched that weed — the high up - induce plant that propagandist once warned would cause " reefer madness " — could contain ingredients that quail tumors . However , experts told Live Science that there is some other grounds that some cannabinoids , the combat-ready fixings found in cannabis , do have anticancer force .
Despite significant scientific interest, no cannabis-related compound has been shown to treat cancer in humans.
" There ’s no two shipway about it : [ Cannabis ] has anticancer properties,“Wai Liu , a senior inquiry fellow at St George ’s , University of London , told Live Science . " But the trouble is , how do you transform that into the clinic — and that ’s the unmanageable question to address . "
Here ’s what we know so far about Mary Jane ’s cancer - fighting business leader .
Related : moon-curser enjoy their workouts more after using cannabis , but physically floundered
Despite significant scientific interest, no cannabis-related compound has been shown to treat cancer in humans.
What are cannabinoids, and can they treat cancer?
The cannabis plant comes inmore than 700 variety , with renowned examples includingCannabis sativaandCannabis indica . Cannabis plants check sum forebode cannabinoids , or chemical that interact with the endocannabinoid system in thebrain . Endocannabinoids made by the body help regulate a plethora ofbiological mapping , including eating , learning andpain recognition .
Plant - made cannabinoids , of which more than 100 have been identified by scientists , plug into this same arrangement and affect its activity . These industrial plant - made molecules admit tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ) , which is largely creditworthy for thecharacteristic " high"associated with cannabis , and cannabidiol ( CBD ) , which does n’t produce a high but has been studied for itspotential medicinal effects .
These and other cannabinoids can now be made synthetically in the laboratory , as well . In fact , two drugs that comprise synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol — dronabinol and nabilone — are already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the nausea and vomiting triggered by chemotherapy .
Clinical research has focused on the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma, shown in high detail under the microscope above.
However , enquiry studying whether cannabinoids straight off shrink tumors is in its very other days . At this point , it ’s been mainly limited topreclinical studiesin human or mouse cadre in lab dishes and in animals such as mice . For instance , synthetic and plant - made cannabinoids have been evidence to impede the growth ofbreast cancerin computer mouse ; in these experiments , cannabinoids were inject into the orbit directly around the tumor , as well ascolorectal cancer , prostate gland cancerandskin cancerin cells .
There areseveral waysin which cannabinoids have been shown to have anticancer properties , Liu said . For good example , in rodent studies , cannabinoids have been shown toinhibit cancer prison cell growthby riffle specific molecular switch in neoplasm cells . And in cell studies , cannabinoids have damaged tumour by swamp them with harmful molecules calledreactive O species , he said .
However , it ’s not all positive — under sure circumstances , THC has been shown topromote tumor growthin animal model . These differences could partially be explained by studies using varying doses and investigating decided types of genus Cancer , the writer suggest .
relate : Cannabis poisonings in young kids skyrocketed following legalization of edibles
Have any cannabinoid-based cancer treatments been tested in humans?
For any cannabinoid - based cancer treatments to reach the market , they ’d need to be tested in humans .
" There ’s a big difference between what you watch in a cell line of business in a petri ravisher compared to what will happen if you address a human who has that cancer,“Dr . Mikael Sodergren , head of the Medical Cannabis Research Group at Imperial College London , told Live Science .
However , so far , there have been only a few small clinical trials , and all have focused on just one type of cancer : glioblastoma , the most aggressive form of head cancer . Current treatments for glioblastoma have poor survival rates meaning thatnew approaches are desperately postulate .
In the first tryout , conduct in 2006 , scientist show that THC shot direct into the tumors of patient role with brain cancer could safely and effectivelyinhibit their growth . The trial included just nine patients with spongioblastoma . So , although these termination were encouraging , the sample size of the study was too small to make any unwavering conclusions about the drug ’s prophylactic and efficacy .
In 2021 , a freestanding research grouppublished the resultsof another former clinical trial , which included 27 people . One group of participants used a mouth spray comprise a mixture of CBD and THC in combining with a traditional chemotherapy drug called temozolomide . They received between 3 - 12 sprays a day ( up to 30 mg of CBD and 32.4 mg of THC ) , depending on their maximum tolerated dot . All of the affected role had spongioblastoma that had render come after standard , first - line therapy .
This trial let in a comparison group that did not use the cannabinoid spray , and by comparison , almost twice as many patient role who received the nebulizer were live after one class .
It ’s still unnamed how the spray may affect tumor growth , but it ’s possible that these compounds facilitate push brain tumor mobile phone toward prison cell last , thereby heighten the antitumor bodily function of temozolomide , Dr. Susan Short , a professor of clinical oncology at the University of Leeds in the U.K. who led the enquiry , told Live Science .
The centres that are running the study are now aiming to recruit around 240 patients into a large , midstage clinical test . They hope to be able-bodied to partake the results of that trial within two eld from now , Short sound out .
What’s still unknown?
Despite this progress , many questions remainabout how cannabinoids might struggle Crab at the molecular level , as well as which dose and administration road would make best in humans .
And , if approved as a cancer treatment , THC would likely have to becombined with another form of cancer therapy , because only low doses could be given to patient to keep off inducing a high , he allege . In clinical trials , it would also be unethical to exclude proven treatment methods from affected role , so test the effects of cannabinoid discussion by itself could be foxy .
In the meantime , the confident sign scientists have seen in cellular poser are for sure deserving look into further , Dr. Brooke Worster , an adjunct prof of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Pennsylvania , told Live Science . Such field could help oneself clear up how cannabinoids affect cancer cellular telephone and which are most bright as treatments .
— Cannabis is no better than a placebo for treat pain , 20 bailiwick show
— Genetic risks behind ' cannabis habit disorder ' find in huge report
— CBD reportedly discovered in plant that ’s not cannabis
In the meantime , though , patient should take the result of these studies with a grain of salt , she say . No one should utilise the early data point about cannabinoids to avoid taking treatments that are already known to be effective against malignant neoplastic disease , such asimmunotherapyandradiation therapy , she said .
There ’s amisconception that " natural"treatmentsare always betterfor you . But given that there is n’t gold - received test copy that cannabinoids can treat malignant neoplastic disease , opting for weed over chemo would n’t be advisable , Worster sum .
This article is for informational purposes only and is not mean to offer medical advice .
Ever wonder whysome people work up muscleman more easy than othersorwhy freckles add up out in the sun ? transmit us your questions about how the human body work tocommunity@livescience.comwith the subject line " Health Desk Q , " and you may see your question answer on the site !
