Breast Cancer Tumors

A non-psychoactive chemical that occurs naturally in the marijuana plant may prevent breast cancer from spreading, according to a study published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

Researchers have discovered that a chemical called cannabidiol (CBD) affects the activity of a gene called ID-1 in patients with breast cancer independent of the hormone. In embryos, Id-1 is responsible for helping cells grow and spread, but is expected to remain inactive in adults. In adult humans, it is found only in metastatic cancer cells or cancer cells that spread throughout the body. "When [the Id-1 gene result], they are very bad," said lead researcher Pierre-Yves Desprez. "They push the cells to behave like embryonic cells and grow. They go crazy, they proliferate, they migrate.

According Desprez, cutting activity of Id-1 may be much less fatal cancers. Tumors, Desprez said, can be "easily removed by surgery, but if the cancer spreads when the disease becomes much more difficult to contain." [ID-1 is like] a conductor [] "said Desprez. "If you take the violinist, the orchestra continues to play fair."
"In this case, you pull the conductor and the whole orchestra will stop," he said.

Because CBD occurs only in small quantities in the cannabis plant , researchers do not recommend smoking marijuana as a treatment for cancer. To be effective, the CBD will either be artificially synthesized or extracted and concentrated. A major advantage of the chemical, the researchers said, is its non-toxicity.

"Currently, we have a limited number of options in treating aggressive forms of cancer," co-author Sean D. McAllister said. "These treatments such as chemotherapy, can be effective but they can also be extremely toxic and difficult for patients. This compound offers the hope of a non-toxic therapy that could achieve the same results without any painful side effects. "

The researchers also hoped that the CBD will also prove effective against other cancers that are based on ID-1, including brain, colon and prostate cancer.