Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer occurring in women worldwide. Here in Canada, 75 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every single day. Although the science may still be in its infancy, it seems increasingly clear that CBD oil benefits extend wide and far when it comes to treating cancer.
While cannabis has been widely touted for its effectiveness in treating many forms of cancer, the scientific evidence of whether it can directly kill cancer cells is unclear. What is clear is that cannabis is very effective at treating many of the side effects, including the pain and the nausea that afflict many post-chemotherapy.
When it comes to breast cancer in particular, more and more studies are revealing how cannabis may be effective in a variety of ways. From suppressing problematic gene activation to increasing the uptake of common pharmaceutical interventions, here are three ways in which cannabis oil may help fight breast cancer.
1) CBD and Gene Inhibition
A gene known as Id-1 is known to trigger the metastatic process that allows the cells from a breast tumour to spread to other parts of the body.
Researchers in a 2007 study found CBD to be a novel inhibitor of Id-1 gene expression in aggressive breast cancer cells. According to researchers, “CBD was able to inhibit Id-1 expression at the mRNA and protein level in a concentration-dependent fashion.”
It’s this that led them to conclude that CBD represents the first nontoxic exogenous agent that can significantly decrease Id-1 expression in metastatic breast cancer cells. In turn, this is thought to lead to the down-regulation in the development of aggressive tumours.
Id-1 is only one of many genes involved in breast cancer metastasis. Future research will dictate whether CBD can positively impact other metastasis genes.
2) CBD Oil Benefits: Enhance the Uptake of Cancer Medication
According to scientific research, CBD may also enhance uptake or increase the potency of certain drugs used to treat cancer. One study showed how it might enhance the uptake of cytotoxic drugs into malignant cells. This leads to apoptosis of glioma cells without affecting normal glial cells in the central nervous system.
3) The Cancer-Fighting Synergies Between CBD and THC
A 2012 study found that the administration of CBD together with THC may actually enhance the anti-tumour activity of traditional chemotherapeutic drugs like temozolomide. Scientists studied the fast-growing tumour glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), which is highly resistant to current anticancer treatments. While THC alone inhibited tumour growth, it was when the THC was combined with CBD that scientists observed “strong antitumoral action” that led them to recommend them therapeutically to exploit the unique synergy between cannabinoids and temozolomide.
CBD Oil Benefits for Breast Cancer
The scientific evidence is still unsettled around the wider implications for the use of cannabis in treating different forms of cancer, including breast cancer. But what is clear is that much of the available evidence suggests that it may well become an important ally in the future as the cultural stigma slowly wanes.