A supplement derived from cannabis could boost survival in pancreatic cancer patients by almost three times, new research suggests. Mice with the condition live longer when they are given the marijuana compound cannabidiol (CBD) alongside a common chemotherapy drug, a UK study found today.
CBD does not contain any THC, which is the psychoactive component of cannabis that makes users ‘high’. Previous research suggest cannabis treats cancer by stopping cell division, preventing tumours forming blood vessels and killing cancerous cells.
Medical cannabis will available on prescription in the UK after it was approved by the Government last week. Pancreatic cancer affects around one in 71 people in the UK and 1.6 per cent in the US at some point in their lives. Only 20 per cent live a year after diagnosis and just seven per cent survive five years. This is due to pancreatic cancer usually only being diagnosed once it has spread due to its vague symptoms, such as weight loss and abdominal pain.
‘A remarkable result’
Speaking of the results, study author Professor Marco Falasca, from Queen Mary University of London, said: ‘This is a remarkable result. ‘We found that mice with pancreatic cancer survived nearly three times longer if a constituent of medicinal cannabis was added to their chemotherapy treatment.
‘Cannabidiol is already approved for use in clinics, which means we can quickly go on to test this in human clinical trials.
IS MEDICAL CANNABIS LEGAL IN THE UK?
Medical cannabis will be available on prescription in the UK after it was approved by the Government in July 2018. Doctors will be able to prescribe medicine derived from marijuana ‘by the autumn’, the Home Office announced. Home secretary, Sajid Javid, said: ‘Following advice from two sets of independent advisors, I have taken the decision to reschedule cannabis-derived medicinal products – meaning they will be available on prescription.
‘This will help patients with an exceptional clinical need.’ Mr Javid added it is ‘in no way a first step to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use.’
This comes after he granted an exceptional licence for Alfie Dingley, six, and Billy Caldwell, 12, to use cannabis for their epilepsy. Possession of the class B drug will still carry an unlimited fine and up to five years in jail, while dealers face 14 years in prison.
‘If we can reproduce these effects in humans, cannabidiol could be in use in cancer clinics almost immediately, compared to having to wait for authorities to approve a new drug.
‘The life expectancy for pancreatic cancer patients has barely changed in the last 40 years because there are very few, and mostly only palliative care, treatments available.’
As well as potentially fighting cancer, CBD is also known to ease chemotherapy’s side effects, such as nausea and vomiting. Yet other experts warn CBD works on the protein GPR55, which is only in around 30 per cent of pancreatic tumours.
Professor Dorothy Bennett, from University of London, said: ‘Caution is needed because this is a mouse study (mice can have different drug responses from humans).
‘So this can be seen as preliminary evidence for lifespan extension, and more confirmation would be desirable, perhaps in other models of pancreatic cancer.’
Is medical cannabis legal in the UK?
Medical cannabis will be available on prescription in the UK after it was approved by the Government last week. Doctors will be able to prescribe medicine derived from marijuana ‘by the autumn’, the Home Office announced.
Home secretary, Sajid Javid, said: ‘Following advice from two sets of independent advisers, I have taken the decision to reschedule cannabis-derived medicinal products – meaning they will be available on prescription.
‘This will help patients with an exceptional clinical need.’
Mr Javid added it is ‘in no way a first step to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use.’
This comes after he granted an exceptional licence for Alfie Dingley, six, and Billy Caldwell, 12, to use the drug for their epilepsy.
Possession of the class B drug will still carry an unlimited fine and up to five years in jail, while dealers face 14 years in prison.