Compounds in marijuana including THC and CBD show “promising potential as anticancer agents,” according to a recent review of scientific literature. The review by an international team of researchers found several ways that compounds in cannabis can affect cancer, including limiting the growth and spread of tumors and other benefits.
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Hand of a scientist holding a marijuana leaf and cannabis oil extract
Compounds in marijuana including THC and CBD show “promising potential as anticancer agents,”
To complete the review, nine researchers from universities in Pakistan, Portugal, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Romania and South Korea conducted a comprehensive search of several online databases for scientific literature that investigated the association between cannabis and cancer. The authors’ search “focused on peer-reviewed articles, review articles, and clinical trials discussing the anticancer properties of cannabinoids.” To be included in the review, articles had to be written in English and contain information on “the mechanisms of action and clinical efficacy of cannabinoids in cancer.”
Through their analysis, which was published last month in the peer-reviewed journal Discover Oncology, the researchers determined that cannabinoids including delta-9 THC, cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) showed “promising potential as anticancer agents through various mechanisms.”
“Cannabinoids, including Δ9-THC, CBD, and CBG, exhibit significant anticancer activities such as apoptosis induction, autophagy stimulation, cell cycle arrest, anti-proliferation, anti-angiogenesis, and metastasis inhibition,” the researchers wrote, online cannabis news source Marijuana Moment reported on Monday. “Clinical trials have demonstrated cannabinoids’ efficacy in tumor regression and health improvement in palliative care.”
While the researchers found ample evidence of the anti-cancer properties of cannabis, they noted that it is not clear exactly what is driving these benefits.
“Despite the evident anti-cancer properties of cannabinoids from numerous experimental results,” review notes, “the exact mechanisms of action still require extensive research.”
The researchers added that “Despite the positive outcomes of using cannabinoids in cancer therapy, there remain significant gaps in knowledge regarding their modes of action, effects on the tumor microenvironment, and the physiology of the signaling pathways they affect.”
The authors noted that cannabis has been used medicinally for centuries, “particularly in Asian and South-Asian countries.” But they also acknowledged that researchers and clinicians today face challenges taking advantage of the medicinal properties of cannabis, including the plant’s well known psychoactive effects, regulatory obstacles and a need for more research on optimal dosing.
“By expanding our understanding of cannabinoid mechanisms and their interactions with cancer cells, we can better harness their therapeutic potential in oncology,” the researchers concluded.
More Research Into Cancer And Cannabis Needed
After reading the review, Benjamin Caplan, M.D., a cannabis specialist and the author of The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook, says that “the science is really impressive.”
Caplan explains in an email that the “review highlights that cannabinoids like THC, CBD and CBG show significant anticancer potential by inducing apoptosis (cell self-destruction), reducing cell proliferation, inhibiting angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels), and modulating the immune response.”
The review also illustrates the need for continued research into cannabinoids and cancer, including controlled randomized trials to develop standardized therapeutic protocols. In existing research, “significant differences in effects are observed based on concentration, cannabinoid type, and cancer type,” Caplan notes. “For example, THC can have both inhibitory and stimulatory effects on breast cancer cell proliferation depending on receptor activation pathways.”
“Cannabinoids interact with multiple pathways, sometimes leading to unintended pro-tumor effects,” he writes. “The review suggests caution, as these mechanisms are not fully understood and require further exploration. Indeed, the endocannabinoid system may be one of the pivotal ‘drivers’ of physiology, but we have yet to determine which elements stimulate or inhibit its effects.”
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