Non-Psychoactive Marijuana Compound Could Fight Metastatic Cancer

Cbd, cannibidiol, a non-psychoactive compound found in low levels in marijuana, has been shown to have rather potent anti-metastatic activity in a mouse model of breast cancer, according to U.S. scientists. Most solid tumors, such as breast, lung or colon, kill not by their local spread but by spread to other sites such as bone, brain, lungs and liver. Chemotherapy is directed against either preventing or treating metastatic spread. Most chemotherapy is given as a set of chemicals, which are essentially poisons that hopefully are more poisonous to the tumor than the normal cells of the body.

Cbd has few side effects and has a rational mode of action: it is effective against one of the drivers of metastatic disease, a gene called id-1, rare in normal cells and plentiful in malignant cells. Cbd suppresses the activity of this crucial gene involved in metastatic disease. The goal of all chemotherapy is selectivity, where the chemotherapeutic compound has activity mostly against malignant as opposed to benign cells. Cbd seems to meet this very important goal.

There are several important caveats from the study:
1. It was performed in a mouse model; please note that the mouse model of breast cancer is a relatively reliable screening model for human breast cancer.
2.The compound in nontoxic, at least in mice.
3. The compound is not psychoactive although it may be anxiolytic.
4. It would be unlikely to be able to get enough of the compound by illegal use of marijuana, as it is present in small amounts in the leaf.
5. If it is approved for human use, it ought be cheaper than some of the other front line therapies and second line therapies, as marijuana is easy to cultivate.
6. To be able to treat or prevent metastatic disease is one of the most important goals of oncologists.
7. It may be active in other tumors, such as lung and colon through the same mechanism.
8. It has already shown activity in brain tumors in a dose dependent fashion through another mechanism.
9. The activity in breast cancer model was dose dependent, i.e., the more the mouse got, the greater the effect.
10. The research was conducted by a very reputable research institute: California pacific research institute.
11. Since it is non-psychoactive, it does not violate federal drug laws.
12. Inhibition of id-1, by other means and in other tumor models, has also shown effect.

The bottom line, depending on the speed of human studies and the reaction of the government to a useful drug derived from marijuana, is that there may soon be a highly useful, scientifically based, relatively nontoxic, hopefully inexpensive way to prevent or treat metastatic disease, thus decreasing much of the pain and agony of cancer. In my opinion, breast cancer and other cancer societies should advocate for fast track development of this potentially valuable drug.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7098340.stm