By Cannabis is already used to treat cancer symptoms and cancer treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy.However, recent study We have found that cannabis use may actually reduce your chances of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common malignancies in the world.
The link between HCC and cannabis had previously been identified in mice, but to the best of the researchers’ knowledge, had not yet been identified in humans, leading to the investigation.
HCC accounts for the majority of primary liver cancers. The study notes that the World Health Organization expects the incidence of HCC to increase through 2030, overestimating the more than 1 million deaths from liver cancer. Liver cancer mortality increased by 43% between 2016 and 2016.
Researchers at Georgetown University Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic used data from the National Inpatient Samples (NIS) database between 2002 and 2014 to identify HCC patients and cannabis use diagnoses. The researchers then identified a non-cannabis-using patient as a control group, adjusted for multiple potential confounders, and performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine whether cannabis use correlated with her HCC. determined the potential relevance of
To the researchers’ knowledge, it was the largest study to assess the relationship between cannabis use and HCC.
The study included a staggering total of 101,231,026 patients. From that group, 996,290 patients were diagnosed with “cannabis abuse,” compared to 100,234,746 in the control group who were not. They were also younger (mean age 34 vs. 48), more male (61.7% vs. 41.4%), and more African American (29.9% vs. 14.2%).
The authors also observed that cannabis users were more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, such as alcohol abuse (28% vs. 3%) and smoking (44% vs. 9%). Viral hepatitis is also more common among cannabis users, which researchers presumed to be associated with high-risk behaviors such as intravenous drug use.
The study noted that patients using cannabis had a 55% lower chance of HCC compared to controls, but this only confirms the correlation. Researchers were unable to confirm a clear, direct causal relationship.
In discussing their results, the researchers explained that CBD offered one explanation for their observations. In addition, drug development of compounds that exert dual CB1 antagonistic and CB2 agonistic effects could play an important role in the management of liver disease. ”
The authors clarify that NIS is an administrative database intended for financial and administrative purposes, not for research purposes. That said, the data can vary in detail and precision, they say.
They also note that among patients with a history of cannabis use, “we cannot determine whether they are active cannabis users or have only a brief history of use.”
They also noted limitations of cross-sectional study designs, which can lead to recall bias when reporting exposures.
“Therefore, we propose prospective clinical studies to further understand the mechanisms by which various active ingredients, particularly CBD from cannabis, may modulate the development of hepatocellular carcinoma,” they conclude.
other Recent research We have demonstrated that cannabinoid-based therapies can stop the growth of liver cancer. Beyond the liver, studies have also shown the efficacy of cannabis treatments for killing colon, pancreas, and breast cancer cells.
Will there be a range of preventive cannabis and CBD treatments offered for people who are more likely to develop HCC and similar cancers in the future? Of course, this early research has only scratched the surface of the topic. , which is what potential cannabis has to offer, provides a solid foundation for future research and hopefully opens the door to more breakthroughs.
