Cannabis Thearapies For Cancer

Cannabinoids  found in marijuana have been reported to cure cancer.  I am researching if this may assist juice fasting therapy for terminal cancer patients.

Certain marijuana components may suppress the tumors of highly invasive cancers, a new study finds.

In laboratory tests, cannabinoids, the active components in marijuana, were found to slow the spread of lung and cervical cancer tumors, according to researchers Robert Ramer and Burkhard Hinz of the University of Rostock in Germany.

Proponents of medical marijuana believe that cannabinoids reduce the side effects of cancer treatment, such as pain, weight loss and vomiting.

The study, published in the Jan. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, finds that the compounds may also have an anticancer effect; however, more research is needed to determine whether the laboratory results will hold true in humans, the authors wrote.

Click here for the study.

In addition to suppressing tumor cell invasion, cannabinoids also stimulated the expression of TIMP-1, an inhibitor of a group of enzymes involved in tumor cell invasion.

“To our knowledge, this is the first report of TIMP-1-dependent anti-invasive effects of cannabinoids,” the authors wrote. “This signaling pathway may play an important role in the antimetastatic action of cannabinoids, whose potential therapeutic benefit in the treatment of highly invasive cancers should be addressed in clinical trials.”

Published Research Studies of using Cannabis Extracts in to Reduce the Negative Effects of Chemotherapy

There have been several studies which have been published which focus on the medical value of smoked marijuana and cancer therapy. These include:

• Vinciguerra et al., Inhalation Marijuana as an Antiemetic for Cancer Chemotherapy,” The New York State Journal of Medicine, pgs., 525-527, October 1988 involved 56 patients who had no improvement with standard antiemetics. When treated with marijuana 78 percent demonstrated a positive response. No serious negative side effects were seen.
• Chang et al., Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol as an Antiemetic in Cancer Patients Receiving High Dose Methotrexate,” Annals of Internal Medicine, Volume 91, Number 6, pg. 819-824, December 1979 is a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial of THC and smoked marijuana which found a 72 percent reduction in nausea and vomiting. The research found that smoked THC (marijuana) was more reliable than oral THC.
  
• Sallan, S.E., Zinberg, N.E. and Frei, D., Antiemetic Effect of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in Patients Receiving Cancer Chemotherapy,” New England Journal of Medicine, 293(16): 795-797 (1975). The researchers conducting this study of THC noticed that some patients were dropping out of the research and choosing to use marijuana from the street instead. They followed up on these patients. In their conclusion they reported on the marijuana patients and stated that natural marijuana was more successful than synthetic THC for some patients.

If you have any cancer success story that you feel is due to the medical use of marijuana please post it.