Meta-analysis examines thousands of cannabis cancer studies

There is much anecdotal evidence from patients to suggest that cannabis has helped them battle cancer and for decades it has been dubbed the "magical miracle plant." Millions of people currently use cannabis as part of their cancer therapy, however, more research is needed before definitive medical claims can be made!

American researchers from the Whole Health Oncology Institute and the Chopra Foundation analysed thousands of studies on cannabis. They wanted to learn more about the therapeutic effects of cannabis and its safety profile and determine its role in cancer treatment. More than 10,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers were the subject of this work, including sentiment analysis and machine learning. The study, recently published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology, is relevant to public health research and clinical practice, as well as to the debate about the legal availability of medical cannabis.

Growing agreement on cancer and cannabis

The study summarises nearly 40,000 data points and shows a "significant consensus" in favour of medical cannabis across various health metrics relevant to cancer. The researchers say cannabis should be re-evaluated as a treatment option in the medical community.

"The aggregate correlation strength of cannabis across all cancer topics shows that support for medical cannabis is 31 times stronger than opposition," the researchers write.

The analysis highlighted the anti-inflammatory potential of cannabis, and its use in treating cancer-related symptoms such as pain, nausea, and loss of appetite. It examined the consensus on its use as an anticarcinogenic agent.

Palliative Care and Pain Relief

The meta-analysis highlights that cannabis is most commonly used in palliative care for cancer patients when administered to combat the side effects of chemotherapy. The analgesic properties of medical marijuana have been extensively studied and show high efficacy in regulating pain in cancer patients. The healing effect is known to be achieved through the action of the main cannabinoids (THC and CBD) on the body's cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2).

Treatment Effectiveness

Clinical evidence supports the efficacy of cannabinoids in treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and improving appetite in cancer patients. An analysis of patient-reported outcomes shows that 70-90% of patients who used cannabis to directly treat cancer symptoms such as pain, nausea, and cachexia reported improvements. Less than 5% reported adverse effects.

Anticarcinogenic Agent

Preclinical studies have shown that cannabinoids can induce apoptosis (the death of cancer cells) and inhibit the growth of various tumour types. Each cancer type has unique genetic, molecular, and histopathological characteristics that impact disease progression and treatment response.

Contrarily, different cannabis-based trials would produce different outcomes in cancer patients. Most of the studies included in the meta-analysis primarily focus on CBD, due in large part to regulatory restrictions on THC. CBD in its isolated form has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, pro-apoptotic (cell death-inducing), and antiproliferative (cancer cell growth-inhibiting) effects in preclinical cancer models. Fully extracted cannabis, which contains THC and other bioactive compounds, may exhibit even more potent anti-cancer effects.

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