Does cannabis help treat cancer? This is a question that has been the subject of a lively debate for decades. Supporters of cannabis, on the one hand, claim that this is the case, while others claim that there is no medical evidence to suggest the opposite. However, a recent article published in the October 2021 issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) evokes the curious case of a patient who refused the conventional treatment of lung cancer and chose to self-administer cannabidiol
Lung cancer in figures
Lung cancer is the third most frequent cancer in France and current conventional treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted anticancer drugs.
Despite the progress made in cancer treatment, lung cancer survival rates remain low, around 17% at 5 years after the diagnosis. The average life of a person who refuses treatment after diagnosis is 7.5 months.
A patient to use CBD cannabis oil: THC
The patient in question in the study of the BMJ was an octogenarian who had gone to the doctor for a persistent cough and, after exams, including a scanner, she was diagnosed with lung cancer with small cells. The patient suffered from a light chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was a current smoker who had smoked a packet of cigarettes a day for 68 years.
After in -depth discussions with her clinicians, during which she was informed of all possible exits, the patient refused radiotherapy on the grounds that she had seen her late husband undergo the side effects, and she also refused lobecotomy . The doctors decided to place the patient under observation, what is called "Watch and Wait".
Unbeknownst to her doctors, she decided to take CBD oil: THC two to three times a day. His doctors continued to monitor it using regular computed tomography and, for two and a half years, they observed that lung cancer gradually decreased, going from an initial size of 41 mm in June 2018 to 10 mm in February 2021. An overall reduction of 76 % of the maximum axial diameter, which reached an average of 2.4 % per month over the 2.5 -year period.
Her case was sent to the local multidisciplinary team (PCT) in February 2019, when doctors were surprised to see the reduction in the size of the tumor since she had refused conventional treatment. It was at this point that the lady admitted to having taken 0.5 ml of CBD oil constantly 2 to 3 times a day, at the suggestion of a family member. The supplier of unauthorized treatment informed the clinical team that the main ingredients were 19.5%THC, CBD at 20.05%and THCA at 23.8%.
The provider also revealed that he had advised the patient not to take her medication with food or hot drinks because she could feel "smashed". The patient reported to doctors that she had less appetite since she had taken CBD oil. She said that there had been no other change in her diet or her lifestyle, and that she had notably refused to completely quit smoking tobacco, rather reducing her consumption to a package per week.
The report specifies:
We are aware of the limits of this case report. We are unable to confirm the complete components of the CBD oil that the patient took or provide information on the component (s) that have been able to contribute to the observed tumor regression. Although there seems to be an association between taking "CBD & THC oil"And the tumor regression observed, we cannot definitively confirm that tumor regression was due to the taking of CBD & THC oil by the patient.
Additional research is necessary:
Existing anticancer treatments can have serious, physical and mental side effects. This is why our patient opted for unconventional self-treatment. The limited number of cases of cases seems to indicate that CBD oil: THC "can have a positive effect on the reduction of tumors. Of the additional research are necessary to determine the real action mechanism, the administration routes, safe dosages, effects on various cancers and any unwanted side effects of the use of cannabinoids. The potential for using cannabinoids as an alternative to increase or replace conventional primary cancer treatments certainly deserves desired.
