"The use of Medical Cannabis for Treating Cancer Related Symptoms in Oncology Patients"

Many comorbidities are associated with oncology diseases. In cancer, the associated symptoms include pain, anxiety, depression, insomnia, decreased in quality of life, increased disability and negative effects on sexuality.

These symptoms are some of the most fundamental causes of suffering and disability for oncology patients while undergoing therapies, and some may even lead to worse prognosis.

Traditionally, cancer-related pain is mainly treated by opioid analgesics but a promising substitute for opioid-based medication is Medical Cannabis (MC) and Cannabinoid treatment for cancer-related pain is generally recognized as safe!

Despite the fact that there is a knowledge gap in the study of Cannabis, especially for treating cancer-related pain, a 2020 study showed that most cancer patients requested MC treatment from their oncologist.

The Adverse Effects (AEs) from cannabinoids for cancer treatment are generally well tolerated by the patients and categorized as mild to moderate and the most frequent AEs are memory impairment, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting and xerostomia (dry mouth).

The Study...

This long-term study was conducted between January 2019 and September 2021 in Israel and pulished in Frontiers in Pain Research on 20 May 2022.

The institutional Ethics Committee of Haemek Medical Center and Galil Medical Center also approved the study.

Researchers conducted a multi-center, prospective, 6-month longitudinal study that followed up on the effectiveness and safety parameters of MC treatment for cancer-associated symptoms.

"Grant funds to researchers who are studying cannabis treatment for cancer"

The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to promote research in understanding the mechanisms by which cannabis and cannabinoids affect cancer biology, cancer interception, cancer treatment and resistance, and management of cancer symptoms.

The "National Institutes of Health" (NIH) is prepping to grant funds to researchers who are studying cannabis treatment for cancer and will soon be available to researchers who are working to treat cannabis. 

Within the US, many states have permitted the use of cannabis products, but state policies vary widely regarding the types of products allowed and for what purpose they may be used. Concurrently, the delivery methods of cannabis have diversified and now include edibles, oils, tinctures, topicals and inhaled forms. 

Cancer patients use cannabis and cannabinoids to manage symptoms of cancer and cancer treatment including anorexia, nausea, and pain. Recent survey evidence suggests that a quarter of cancer patients have used cannabis for symptom management. Despite the increase in cannabis and cannabinoid use, research about their health effects, including potential harms and benefits, remain limited.

"GPR55 The third Cannabinoid Receptor (CB3)"

Finding the CB3 receptor could mean huge medical advancements for cannabis medicine.Originally called GPR55 after the gene that encodes it, the CB3 receptor is an exciting discovery for science. It is now clear this receptor is part of the Endocannabinoid System and interacts with endocannabinoids and phtyocannabinoids like THC and CBD.

Every animal, have an Endocannabinoid System. Cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the body. But where has CB3 been hiding? Well, turns out it hasn’t exactly been hiding. It’s more like researchers didn’t connect it to endocannbinoid activity before now.

Firstly, the two most researched receptors are CB1 and CB2. While CB1 receptors are prominent in the central nervous system, and CB2 receptors typically reside in the immune system. CB3 receptors were incognito, previously identified as GPR55. At first, science didn’t know that this receptor even accepted cannabinoids.

The CB3 receptor stayed hidden from scientists because it’s so unlike the other cannabinoid receptors. It only shares 13% of amino acid identity with them. It simply doesn’t look like it would react with cannabis, so scientists on the hunt for new cannabinoid receptors passed over it for years. This designation means that while the receptor had been found, science doesn’t yet know what activated that receptor.

When CB3 was first discovered in 1999, many doubted it was a cannabis receptor. It wasn’t until real proof came along years later that medical researchers accepted that GPR55 was indeed the 3rd Cannabinoid Receptor.

"Study Concluded That CBD Can Help With The Reduction of Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation, Invasion and Metastasis"

The process of metastasis to other tissues of the body is the final and fatal step during cancer progression and is the least understood genetically. 

Despite all currently available treatments, breast cancer is most often incurable once clinically apparent metastases develop.

There is a general consensus in the field of cancer research that targeting multiple pathways that control tumor progression is the best strategy for the eradication of aggressive cancers

It is well known that CBD can modulate specific functions of the immune system and the immune system has an important role in the inhibition of cancer progression.

It was essential to determine whether CBD demonstrates antitumor activity and since CBD has a low toxicity, it would be an ideal candidate for use in combination treatments with additional drugs already used in the clinic. 

"Neuroprotective Effects Of Cannabis" by Sensi Seed

Following on from our recent article on the relationship between cannabis use and stroke, we now investigate the role of cannabinoids in mitigating brain damage caused by traumatic brain injury and ischemic stroke. There is mounting evidence to suggest that their various properties have great therapeutic potential.

-Antioxidative & anti-inflammatory properties

In recent years the evidence for the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of various cannabinoids has become well-established, and our understanding of the role they play in modulating neurotransmission too has grown. Thus, serious consideration is now being given to their potential as neuroprotective agents. Cannabinoids have been shown to prevent neuronal death in acute neuronal injury, including Ischemic Stroke (IS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), as well as provide symptomatic relief in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Huntington’s disease, and other chronic neurodegenerative diseases.

"Cannabis and Cancer"

Cancer is the holy grail of medical research and it’s the most-coveted breakthrough of our time. (and the most profitable disease). 

If we could discover a way to prevent malignant cells from effect in the human body, not only would we save millions of lives, but we would end years of suffering and, we could finally feel superior from this illness.

But, is Cannabis a way that we can achive this?

Studies, so far, show that cannabis can kill all types of cancer cells, reduce angiogenesis and prevent from metastasis

One Treatment Doesn’t Fit All...

Cancer isn’t just one thing. It’s an umbrella term for a collection of related illnesses. What unites these is the method of mayhem: cancer divides and spreads like ants at a picnic. And because it’s not just one kind of ant, we’ve developed slightly different ways to deal with each species.

Standard cancer treatment must be adapted to the type and location of tumor. When cancer infects the brain, we can’t necessarily handle it the way we would handle cancer in the stomach. Even if the same treatments would effective at stopping the cancer, the collateral damage to brain cells is just too risky.

Although human trials and solid scientific research are still a ways off, early studies indicated that cannabis might be the one truly universal way to kill cancer cells and while chemotherapy and radiation have certainly helped humanity’s battle against cancer, research into the endocannabinoid system keeps new information about how cannabis can to prevent tumors to form, spread and turn deadly.

"Cannabis & Chemotherapy Side Effects"

When it comes to chemotherapy, medical cannabis is primarily used to treat the common side effects including nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and pain. 

Here’s what you need to know about how medical cannabis can support you or a loved one during chemo. 

The 2 majors cannabinoids THC & CBD have shown to effectively reduce the nausea and vomiting that often occurs during and after chemotherapy treatments.

For example, THC seems to cause the "high" reported by marijuana users, and also can help relieve pain and nausea, reduce inflammation, and can act as an antioxidant.

Cannabidiol (CBD) can help treat seizures, can reduce anxiety and paranoia, and can counteract the "high" caused by THC.

In this point, you will allow me to emphasize that the researches about cannabis & chemotherapy so far suggests that it is the synergy of all cannabinoids together that has the greatest results for patients but lets see what the experts say about it...

"Cannabis and Cannabinoids. Integrative, alternative, and complementary therapies"

Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is a plant grown in many parts of the world. It makes a resin (thick substance) that contains compounds called cannabinoids.

Cannabis and cannabinoids have been studied for relief of pain, nausea and vomiting, anxiety, and loss of appetite caused by cancer or the side effects of cancer therapies.

Cancer patients considering complementary and alternative therapies should discuss this decision with their doctor, nurse, or pharmacist as they would any type of treatment. Some complementary and alternative therapies may affect their standard treatment or may be harmful when used with conventional treatment.

The National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) are sponsoring a number of clinical trials (research studies) at medical centers to test CAM therapies for use in cancer.

What are cannabinoids?

Cannabinoids, also known as phytocannabinoids, are chemicals in Cannabis that cause drug-like effects in the body, including the central nervous system and the immune system. The main psychoactive cannabinoid in Cannabis is delta-9-THC.

Another active cannabinoid is cannabidiol (CBD), which may relieve pain and lower inflammation without causing the high of delta-9-THC.Cannabinoids may help treat the side effects of cancer and cancer treatment.

Can Medical Marijuana’s Chemicals May Protect Cells???

As more countries legalize Cannabis treatment, scientists are learning how the plant's chemicals may help conditions ranging from brain injuries to cancer.

They might protect the brain from the effects of trauma, ease the spasms of multiple sclerosis and reduce epileptic seizures. 




Further preliminary work indicates that the chemicals may slow the growth of tumors and reduce brain damage in Alzheimer's disease.

-After inducing human breast cancer tumors in mice, researchers in the U.K. found they could shrink the tumors by administering THC. The chemical may disrupt cancer cell growth as it binds to CB2 receptors, which are much more abundant on cancer cells than on healthy ones. 

-Taken together, CBD & THC are promising agents for inhibiting breast cancer progression.By influencing the tumor microenvironment and the immune system,they are able to reduce inflammation, inhibit tumor cell growth, induce apoptosis, and cause autophagy

-At the University of South Carolina, a team discovered that THC could reduce the inflammation associated with autoimmune diseases by suppressing the activity of certain genes involved in the immune response.

-And at the University of South Florida, researchers working with cells in a lab showed that extremely low concentrations of THC could reduce production of beta amyloid, the protein that forms the plaque abundant in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. 

(This article was originally published with the title "Marijuana's Medical Future" in Scientific American 312, 2, 32-34 (February 2015)

doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0215-32)

Sources: https://www.scientificamerican.com
             https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Doctor’s 25 years of research shows cancer patients live 4X longer by refusing chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is one of the most expensive medical treatments in the world today, but is it actually…effective? Thanks to alternative media and documentaries like the ‘Truth About Cancer’ series, more and more people are beginning to question not only its efficacy, but also whether it actually does more harm than good.

Believe it or not that questioned may have been answered more than 40 years ago, when a shocking study was released that could have ended the chemo experiment — if anyone had been paying attention.

Dr. Hardin B. Jones, a former Professor of Medical Physics and Physiology at Berkeley, California, concluded after over 25 years of research not only that chemotherapy, radiation and surgery do not work and do not prolong a cancer patient’s life, but patients receiving these types of oncological treatments in many cases die much sooner than those who choose to be untreated. Treated patients also die a much more painful death.

“People who refused chemotherapy treatment live an average of 12 and a half years longer than the people who are receiving chemotherapy,” wrote Dr. Jones in the journal of the New York Academy of Sciences.

"Beyond the CB1 & CB2... The Therapeutic Promise of TRPV1 & GPR55 Receptors"

If you’re familiar with cannabis science, you know about CB1 and CB2, the receptors located throughout the body that are triggered by cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). 
It’s via these receptors that THC and CBD are able to bring about some of the therapeutic effects that cannabis is known for.

While CB1 and CB2 get the most attention—likely because we know the most about them—there are other receptors in the body that also respond to cannabinoids, like TRPV1 and GPR55. These receptors are influenced by THC and CBD, as well as anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), endocannabinoids made by our bodies.

"Research on the TRPV1 and GPR55 receptors shows cannabinoids may hold promise in treating cancer and Dravet syndrome".

We’re beginning to gain a better understanding of TRPV1 and GPR55. Both hold much therapeutic promise, and CBD may be one of the ways to unlock this potential.

"A BRAVE YOUNG GIRL WITH A UNIQUE & INSPIRING PATH THROUGH CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA"

"Some may say that cannabis does not “cure” cancer…

I am not saying the steroids and chemo didn’t help…
but all this right here shows something…
proof enough for me!

Some say cannabis is inappropriate for children…
We say cancer is inappropriate for children..."


This is the story of a little girl Mykayla that on July14th 2012, diagnosed with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
​
Leukemia is cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is a very rare and aggressive form of childhood leukemia, it accounts for 15-18% of childhood leukemia cases.

-In a healthy child, the bone marrow makes blood stem cells (immature cells) that become mature blood cells over time. A blood stem cell may become a myeloid stem cell or a lymphoid stem cell.

-In a child with ALL, too many stem cells become lymphoblasts, B lymphocytes, or T lymphocytes. The cells do not work like normal lymphocytes and are not able to fight infection very well. These cells are cancer leukemia cells.

"The Antiemetic effect of THC in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy"

Anecdotal accounts suggested that smoking marihuana decreases the nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapeutic agents.

In a study published in 16 Oct 1975 from 'The New England Journal of Medicine', oral THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) was compared with placebo in a controlled, randomized, "double-blind" experiment. 


All patients were receiving chemotherapeutic drugs known to cause nausea and vomiting of central origin. Each patient was to serve as his own control to determine whether tetrahydrocannabinol had an antiemetic effect. Twenty-two patients entered the study, 20 of whom were evaluable. For all patients an antiemetic effect was observed in 14 of 20 tetrahydrocannabinol courses and in none of 22 placebo courses. 

For patients completing the study, response occurred in 12 of 15 courses of tetrahydrocannabinol and in none of 14 courses of placebo. No patient vomited while experiencing a subjective "high." 

Oral tetrahydrocannabinol has antiemetic properties and is significantly better than a placebo in reducing vomiting caused by chemotherapeutic agents.

"Just realize that this study is from 1975... but still we searching for evidence"

Source: https://www.nejm.org

"Study Discover The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids"

In March 2016, the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) was asked to convene a committee of experts to conduct a comprehensive review of the literature regarding the health effects of using cannabis and/or its constituents that had appeared since the publication of the 1999 IOM report Marijuana and Medicine. 

-The resulting Committee on the Health Effects of Marijuana consisted of 16 experts in the areas of marijuana, addiction, oncology, cardiology, neurodevelopment, respiratory disease, pediatric and adolescent health, immunology, toxicology, preclinical research, epidemiology, systematic review, and public health.


Given the large scientific literature on cannabis, the breadth of the statement of task, and the time constraints of the study, the committee developed an approach that resulted in giving primacy to recently published systematic reviews (since 2011) and high-quality primary research for 11 groups of health endpoints. For each health endpoint, systematic reviews were identified and assessed for quality using published criteria. Only fair- and good-quality reviews were considered by the committee. 

"The Study On THC and Lung Cancer That Disappeared In The 1970s"

It is frankly shocking that the evidence was emerging in the 70s about the positive effect of the cannabis treatment on cancer and it was not utilized until recently. This may be due to some external factors not really related to science and technology, if you understand what I mean.

THC and lung cancer have been bitter foe since the beginning of time, but we have only officially known about this since 1975.  Unfortunately, soon after the results passed muster of peer review, it all just poofed away. Not a mention, barely a publication, nary an epic news story.

In the early 70s of last century, Richard Nixon ordered a study on the effects of ‘marijuana’ for human health. Things went pretty much in the opposite direction to what he had hoped to reveal. The human lung cancer cultures exposed to cannabis smoke showed detrimental alterations to their DNA synthesis. This was measured by the appearance of chromatin bridges. These bridges make it more likely that a chromosome will break. Researchers hypothesized that THC was interfering  with some crucial cell biochemical process that was damaging lung cancer cells.

"From September 29th, 2014 FDA Had Approved Cannabis For Brain Cancer Treatment... "

On September 29th, 2014, Insys Therapeutics  announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration had granted orphan drug designation to its proprietary cannabidiol product for the treatment of glioma. (A glioma is a type of tumor that starts in the brain or spine.)

CEO of Insys, Michael Babich stated: “We will most likely focus initially on pontine glioma, or PG, which has multiple similarities with glioblastoma multiforme, for which our pharmaceutical CBD was granted ODD last month. We believe that this product has excellent potential as treatment for PG, and look forward to advancing its development and offering a potential efficacious treatment for patients.”

Insys, which has more than seven years of research and development experience in the pharmaceutical cannabinoid space, manufactures pharmaceutical CBD and pharmaceutical dronabinol (THC), both of which are cannabinoids, at its FDA-inspected and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) approved facility in Round Rock, Texas. 

The company recently submitted a Drug Master File (DMF #28255) for its CBD active pharmaceutical ingredient and believes that it is the only U.S.-based company with the capacity to produce pharmaceutical cannabinoids in scalable quantities.

Insys was previously granted ODD to its pharmaceutical CBD for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in humans, and two rare forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome and Dravet Syndrome. 

Insys is also evaluating the potential use of pharmaceutical CBD in several additional indications, including: adult epilepsy, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and addiction in cocaine, amphetamines and opioids. Insys intends to pursue orphan drug designation for other indications that may qualify.

Orphan drug designation is granted by the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) to novel drugs or biologics that treat rare diseases or conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 patients in the U.S. The designation provides the drug developer with a seven-year period of U.S. marketing exclusivity, as well as certain financial incentives that can help support its development.

This progress is impressively significant, but there is still much to be desired.

First, cannabinoids work best when used together, so a CBD-only treatment will probably yield poorer results than a formula with CBD, THC, and the dozens of other cannabinoids. We all know that the CBD being used by Insys is synthetic. While organic whole-plant, full-spectrum cannabis extracts are best, the FDA approval for CBD alone is still a major step.

The scientific and anecdotal evidence supporting glioma treatment with cannabis is quite strong.

Dr.Manuel Guzman from Spain is well known for his study showing how THC induces programmed cell death in glioma cells. CBD has also been shown to kill some types of glioma cell lines in addition to inhibiting migration, proliferation, growth, invasion,and angiogenesis. With such powerful properties, it’s no surprise that anecdotal evidence is supportive.

Sophie Ryan, an optic pathway glioma patient, has been featured in the journal O’Shaughnessy’s, with documentation supporting amazing anticancer effects of cannabinoids (THC & CBD) against her tumor. While she was also on chemotherapy, the traditional treatment was only expected to stabilize the tumor, not shrink it. 

Another observational study in the same journal documents an optic pathway glioma reducing more than 95% in 16 months; in this case, cannabis oil was the sole treatment.

For years, many other people have reported amazing success against brain cancers with cannabis oil. It is undeniable that this is working, at least in some cases. Given this reality, cannabis extracts should be made available to any brain cancer patient who desires it, and clinical testing should begin immediately to optimize cannabis treatment. 

Source: https://patientsoutoftime.org
            https://insysrx.gcs-web.com

"Study Reviews The Effects of Cannabinoids in Glioblastoma Therapy"

This review article summarizes the latest findings on the molecular effects of cannabinoids on GBM, both in vitro and in (pre-) clinical studies in animal models and patients.
These findings underline the importance of elucidating the full pharmacological effectiveness and the molecular mechanisms of the cannabinoid system in GBM pathophysiology.
The therapeutic effect of cannabinoids is based on reduction of tumor growth via inhibition of tumor proliferation and angiogenesis but also via induction of tumor cell death. Additionally, cannabinoids were shown to inhibit the invasiveness and the stem cell-like properties of GBM tumors.Recent phase II clinical trials indicated positive results regarding the survival of GBM patients upon cannabinoid treatment. 

What is Glioblastoma?

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor and one of the deadliest types of solid cancer overall. GBM is an extremely aggressive type of cancer. These tumors are characterized by high cellular proliferation and angiogenesis resulting in rapid tumor growth and, consequently, necrosis. GBM cells also exhibit high migration and invasive properties, which allow them to produce metachronous lesions and even to spread through the brain parenchyma. Furthermore, GBM tumors contain a subpopulation of glioma stem-like cells (GSCs), which, at least partially, account for the high resistance to therapy and recurrence rates of these tumors.

"Does CBD Have Medical Benefits for Dogs"?

As with any pet wellness trend, when it comes to CBD oil for dogs, there’s a lot of information floating around online.

Of course, you want to do what’s best for your pup, which leads to the question: What do I need to know about CBD oil?

Every animal with a spinal column has an endocannabinoid system (ECS), which scientists estimate evolved more than 600 million years ago and has been carried forward across the millennia.

This ancient system—discovered through the work of several researchers between roughly 1965 and 1995—is named for Cannabis sativa L., the plant species that most dramatically affects it.

Its basic functions have been summarized as to “relax, eat, sleep, and protect.”


Ok all this, but how CBD Is Thought to Help Dogs...???

Researchers are still learning CBD’s specific effects on dogs, but here’s how the compound is thought to work:

Dogs have an endocannabinoid system (ECS), just like humans. 
The ECS is a network of cellular activators and receptors in the body that regulate physiological processes, including pain, mood, inflammation, stress, and more. 

CBD binds to and activates the vanilloid, adenosine, and serotonin receptors in a dog’s ECS and helps to regulate pain perception, inflammation, temperature, and more. It also boosts dopamine levels, helping to reduce anxiety and improve mood. 

CBD also blocks GPR55 signaling, which decreases cancer cell reproduction.

Cannabis Kills All Types of Cancer Cells That Science Has Tested so Far

Standard cancer treatment must be adapted to the type and location of tumor, whereas cannabis is an equal opportunity killer. Cannabis kills all types of cancer cells.

Curing cancer is the holy grail of medical research and it’s the most-coveted breakthrough of our time. If we could discover a way to prevent malignant cells from overrunning the human body, not only would we save millions of lives, we would end years of suffering. And, we could finally feel superior to sharks which are rumored to be cancer free (It turns out, they actually can be afflicted). Is cannabis the way? Studies, so far, show that cannabis kills all types of cancer cells.

How Cannabis Kills Cancer Cells

Molecular Biologist Explains How THC Kills Cancer Cells

Dr. Christina Sanchez, a molecular biologist at Compultense University in Madrid,in the video clearly explaining how THC (the main psychoactive constitute of the cannabis plant) completely kills cancer cells.