New hope for patients with aggressive breast cancer may come in the form of an isolated compound found in cannabis, said researchers at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, a nonprofit Sutter Health affiliate.
The study, released in the medical journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, discovered that the CBD compound found in cannabis can slow the activity of a gene that causes the spread of cancer cells.
Researchers announced the finding with hope that the compound could be part of a non-toxic treatment for metastatic breast cancer.
"Right now we have a limited range of options in treating aggressive forms of cancer," said Dr. Sean McAllister, lead author of the study. "Those 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 of the painful side effects."
CBD is not like THC, found in marijuana, and can be used without the psychoactive side effects of marijuana so its use does not violate anti-drug laws, according to researchers.
Researchers remind patients that, "this is not a recommendation for people with breast cancer to smoke marijuana," because the levels of CBD necessary for treatment are not attainable through smoking marijuana, according to researchers.
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