Anti-Cancer Properties of Cannabinoids

“Cannabinoids are anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, anti-invasive, anti-metastatic, and pro-apoptotic in most cancers, both in vitro and in vivo”.

You may have heard me say that cannabinoids have anti-cancer properties, but what exactly does that mean? With cancer continuously on the rise, we need to search for alternatives that we can combine with conventional treatment to improve patient outcomes and help to eradicate this deadly disease. The latest studies show 1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, so as you may know, that is a big problem, and this is not normal (1). We may be taught to just turn a blind eye at the numbers, this is most certainly a problem. This topic needs addressing for the sake of humanity. While I will save most of the details for my book, I will touch on this briefly on my podcast, so make sure you stop in to check it out!

Cancer is one of my favorite topics to discuss because every single person in my family has succumbed to cancer. This topic is also what got me started here at Bee’s Canna Farm. After seeing what these cannabinoids can do for someone firsthand (grandparents) suffering from the side effects of chemotherapy, I knew I had to bring this information and plant and make it more readily available for the rest of the world. From increasing appetite, reducing nausea/vomiting response, pain relief, anxiety/depression, sleep aid, supportive care, to the anti-inflammatory effects, cannabinoids seem to have a promising future for cancer patients. The real question is, can cannabinoids like CBD and THC actually cause cancer cells to undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis)? You’re going to want to check this out!

GW Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies out there, has a particular interest in cannabinoids and their medicinal value. One of their most notable products is Epidiolex, is a medication made from CBD oil that is approved by the FDA to treat epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet Syndrome. Their expertise in the field of cannabinoids has made this company the forefront of cannabinoid therapy, using cannabis for its medicinal application. In fact, GW Pharmaceuticals filed for a patent (#US20130059018A1) regarding the medicinal application of cannabis. In their official documents that were filed, GW Pharmaceuticals discussed the anti-tumor, anti-cancer, and anti-proliferative effects that CBD has on various types of cancer , including prostate, breast, skin, glioma, colon, bone, and lymphatic cancer (2). GW Pharmaceuticals filed for this application in 2013 and the patent was published in 2014. Since our medical system is here to help people, I wonder how many patients dealing with prostate, breast, skin, glioma, colon, bone, and lymphatic cancer were told about the anti-cancer properties of cannabidiol (CBD)? After all, this patent was officially published over 10 years ago… As you can see, we have a very broken medical system that needs reform if we are going to progress as a society.

Potential benefits of cannabinoids for cancer patients include pain relief, nausea suppressant, appetite stimulation, supportive care, but most importantly tumor growth regulation (2). This leads us directly into the anti-metastatic properties of CBD.

One study stated that at an increased concentration, CBD was shown to decrease the size of tumors and metastatic nodules of cancer growth through ICAM-1 and TIMP-1 (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1) as the key molecular targets of the anti-invasive mechanism of CBD (3). The study concluded that CBD was also shown to prevent cancer cell adhesion to non-cancerous cells, showing that CBD reduced cell invasion and metastasis (3).

The same study concluded that CBD was shown to inhibit cancer cell growth and metastasis through various cellular mechanisms that were shown to inhibit the formation and growth of new vasculature (angiogenesis) that feed the growing cancer cells, which gives CBD anti-angiogenesis properties that can stop the spread of cancer or metastasis (3).

Lastly, CBD was shown to regulate several pathophysiological processes in cancer cells, including autophagy (cleaning up dead/damaged cells)), cytokine secretion, apoptosis (cell death), all while modulating our innate and adaptive immunity (3).

I feel as if this type of information should be screamed from the top of the mountain, hitting the front-page news about a potential anti-cancer compound to help humanity. The harsh reality is this information never trickles down to those who need it most, those fighting cancer. Are we really here to help those suffering disease or is our “healthcare” system looking to fill their wallets first?

We have known about the anti-cancer properties of various cannabinoids since 1974 when medical researchers at the Medical College of Virginia found evidence that THC slowed the growth of lung cancer, breast cancer, and virus-induced leukemia (4).

What I love most about this plant, aside from the anti-cancer properties, is the fact this plant has a great safety profile. The plant is typically harmless when considering the side effects of pharmaceuticals. Medical researchers also concluded that the safety profile of this plant is also something that researchers are intrigued by. Imagine being able to decrease our dependence on pain medications that are linked to overdose related deaths, all while helping patients fight off invasive cancers. What an impact we can have on our healthcare system.

Due to CB1 receptors absent within the brainstem (what controls our respiratory drive), this makes it virtually impossible to suppress your respiratory drive, which is the big problem with pain medications like opiates.

One plant with powerful anti-cancer properties, a great safety profile, and seemingly endless uses. Now, that’s what I call medicine!

Bee Well,

Brandon Farless

*This information is for educational purposes only. I am simply sharing information pertaining to these studies. No medical advice or claims are being made on my behalf.

References

Ma, Z. Q., & Richardson, L. C. (2022). Cancer Screening Prevalence and Associated Factors Among US Adults. Preventing chronic disease, 19, E22. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd19.220063

Google. (2014, July). US20130059018A1 - phytocannabinoids in the treatment of cancer. Google Patents. https://patents.google.com/patent/US20130059018A1/en

Fu, Z., Zhao, P. Y., Yang, X. P., Li, H., Hu, S. D., Xu, Y. X., & Du, X. H. (2023). Cannabidiol regulates apoptosis and autophagy in inflammation and cancer: A review. Frontiers in pharmacology, 14, 1094020. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1094020