Cancer Care Article

Can CBD help alleviate some of the symptoms of cancer? Much research has been conducted over the years: here we have assembled over 250 peer-reviewed science reports

Source: 
https://projectcbd.org

Link: 
https://projectcbd.org/medical-conditions/cancer/

In general, CBD and other phytocannabinoids in cancer cells have been found to cause:

• Cytotoxicity (killing the cancer cells)
• Anti-proliferation (slowing their growth)
• Anti-migration (slowing their movement)
• Slowed angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels)
• Apoptosis (cellular suicide) and autophagy (cellular degradation & recycling)
• Suppression of cancer stem cells and metastasis (formation of secondary growth at a distance from the primary cancer site)
• Lessened chemoresistance (the cancer’s resistance to chemical treatment)
• Reduction of glycosylation (modification of newly made proteins)
• Novel functions such as “bubbling cell death”

The majority of work has been done with medical cannabis rich in THC but more recent research highlights CBD for cancer as well as CBD helping conventional cancer treatments to work better. THC and CBD often work together well, some of their functions being mediated by effects on a cancer cell’s mitochondria (powerhouse of the cell). Research has also showed the anticancer effects of some of the terpenes that would be present in a full-plant extract. Cannabinoids can help with cancer progression via the microbiome. Some epidemiological data shows the use of cannabis increasing the risk of certain types of cancer while others show a decreased cancer risk from cannabis use.

For the standard cancer treatments, cannabis helps with pain, appetite, quality of life, cognitive functioning, and palliative end-of-life care. The use of cannabinoids can help lower the use of opioid painkillers. For chemotherapy treatment, the cannabinoids can also protect the brain cells from the neurotoxicity treatments, PEA, an endocannabinoid-like compound, can help protect the heart cells and CBD lessens the ulcers of radiation therapy. Cannabinoids may also enhance other treatments like photodynamics or ozone therapy. But they can interfere with the effects of some cancer drugs while overcoming resistance to cancer drugs in other tumors. In some cases, the uses of CBD alone can have striking results in tumor reduction.