Cannabis and Cancer interesting reading for sure :)

[alangeorge]

Cannabis and Cancer, A Brief Introduction Part 1

Cannabis has a long history of co-treatment with conventional cancer treatments. Chemotherapy comes with a host of side effects such as nausea, vomiting, blisters, hair loss, appetite loss, and more. Treatment with cannabis during chemo might not help with hair loss, but it does help with the effects associated with sickness. Cannabis can be highly effective for reducing nausea and vomiting as well as improving appetite, as outlined in a great review on Cancer.gov.

Cannabis and Chemotherapy compared the effects of the plant and a drug called Prochlorperazine (a commonly used med in the treatment of chemotherapy effects) in regards to chemotherapy side effects. During their research, they admitted 214 patients with a diversity of cancers and undergoing a variety of treatments. Patients received either THC or Prochlorperazine. The researchers measured the severity of the side effects and recorded patient preference.

At the end of the study, the researchers noted THC and Prochlorperazine were equally beneficial for reducing the side effects of chemotherapy. Furthermore, any side effects from the THC (presumably the 'high') did not influence patient preference. Other older studies from as far back as the 1980s found patients frequently preferred cannabis over conventional Prochlorperazine.

Cannabis has also been found useful for improving appetite and weight during treatment. In addition, cancer patients widely use cannabis for cancer-related pain. There are several small, but nevertheless valuable, studies showing how effective cannabis is for cancer-related pain. Chronic cancer-related pain is often resistant to opioid medications but receptive to cannabinoids.

Two studies on cancer-pain and cannabis are worth highlighting. The first, called "Analgesic effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol" gave different doses of oral THC to patients suffering from cancer pain. The authors concluded, "Pain relief significantly superior to placebo was demonstrated at high dose levels (15 and 20 mg)."

The second study (a follow-up) compared oral cannabis in 10 mg doses to a comparable pain reliever - codeine. These studies found that 10 mg of THC was equivalent to 60 mg of codeine, and 20 mg of THC equal to 120 mg of codeine. Later studies comparing mixtures of THC and CBD to only THC to a placebo found that a combination THC:CBD worked most effectively for reducing pain.

Beyond cannabis’ ability to improve appetite and weight, reduce nausea and vomiting, and reduce pain; early evidence also suggests cannabis may combat tumor growth. It's important to note there are no clinical studies to date showing these antitumor effects, but many studies based on animal or in Petri dishes.

In these preliminary studies, cannabis has demonstrated its "antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis invasion and metastasis." There is evidence of these effects on a wide variety of cancer cells, including prostate. Unlike chemotherapy, cannabis targets cancer cells but protects the surrounding healthy tissue.

Many patients have begun incorporating cannabis into their treatment protocols as a way to combat the many side effects of conventional cancer treatment. At the time of writing, the National Cancer Institute had only one clinical trial listed, but it was for the effects of radiation, not as antitumor research.

[2dee]

With zero prior experience for 75 years I found measurable success FOR ME using CBD and THC managing MY MPCa and other pain. If there is further success in prolonging MY quality of life, QOL, that will be a great bonus. Currently I am having some success. I'm over a year past my initial 6mo use by date.

2Dee