Bloomberg.com: Health Care

April 17 (Bloomberg) -- Giving marijuana to mice with cancer shrank their lung tumors by half and slowed spread of the disease, findings that may one day expand legal use of the substance as a treatment, researchers said.

The research is the first to show that marijuana's active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, blocks a known cancer- related protein that's already the target of drugs such as ImClone System Inc.'s Erbitux and Amgen Inc.'s Vectibix.

The findings, presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Los Angeles, add to evidence that marijuana may have anti-tumor properties and its potential should be probed further, researchers said. Scientists speculate THC may activate biological pathways that halt cancer cell division or block development of blood vessels that feed tumors.

``THC can have a potential therapeutic role,'' said Anju Preet, the study's lead author and a researcher at Harvard University's division of experimental medicine. ``Maybe THC is killing cells. The preliminary studies are promising.''

Tumor cells dosed with THC also showed a reduction in epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR, which means the substance may be acting in ways similar to Erbitux and Vectibix, which block the protein, Preet said.

The group includes Erbitux, which treats colon and head and neck cancers, Vectibix, which treats colon cancer, Genentech Inc.'s Tarceva, approved for lung and pancreatic cancer, and AstraZeneca Plc's Iressa, which treats lung cancer.

Lung cancer cells with high levels of EGFR are generally very aggressive and treatment resistant, researchers said.

Receptors

THC activates ``cannabinoid receptors,'' which are proteins found in the brain and other parts of the body that are involved in a number of biological functions, including inflammation and pain. Researchers set out to see if they could inhibit tumor growth by targeting these receptors in both human lung tumor samples and in mice.

In addition to reducing tumor size by half, THC was also associated with a 60 percent reduction in cancer lesions in the lungs of mice.

A British study of nine brain-tumor patients last year found THC reduced growth of cancer cells, and other tests suggest it has potential in skin and breast cancers, Preet said.

More work needs to be done to understand how THC prevents tumor growth and to find the right dose before starting clinical trials, Preet said. Previous research has shown that too much THC can stimulate cancer growth, she said.

``Before jumping into clinical study we need to understand how it works, which can help us design a better therapeutic,'' Preet said.

In the U.S., 11 states have enacted laws that allow patients to use marijuana for medical purposes. The states are Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Vermont and Rhode Island, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a marijuana policy reform organization based in Washington D.C. Last month, Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, signed a bill that would make his state the 12th to legalize marijuana for medical use.

Only one THC drug, called Marinol, is approved in the U.S. The treatment, made by Solvay Pharmaceuticals, is used as an appetite stimulant for cancer patients.

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We CAN stamp out Glaucoma in our lifetime

thats amazing stuff just goes to show how the politicians of the world need to educate themselves stop making weed a crime and.......LEAGALIZE IT!!

so? im not a mouse am i?

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war pigs keep on marching

I think further testing on this would reveal even further anti-cancer properties. It's been one of the more successful agents for killing off malignant cells, at least in mice. But from what I understand, they're not implanting humans with cancer and testing, however mice are quite genetically similar to us, but I do believe this correlates with a previous study citing that marijuana smokers were actually at a slightly lesser risk for cancer than those who smoked nothing.

If it is a cure for cancer, which I wouldn't doubt...that would make even more of a reason for our government to say "it has absolutely no medical benefit whatsoever" they make too much money from cancer treatments, hospital visits, medication, and anything else associated with it...doctors, specialists..you name it.

to our government, it's all about the money...they'd rather see people suffer. that's why tobacco's legal and kills nearly half a million people here in america every year..but they get the money from it..so they're happy.

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Pictures and information posted under this username are duplicated, and should in no way be taken seriously, as it is only a joke.(period)


Ron Paul is freedom

"If Tyranny and Oppression Come to this Land, it Will be in the Guise of Fighting a Foreign Enemy" - James Madison

"What? No. We can't stop here. This is bat country!"

Where is this published?

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Any fish and chips made by me are purely fictional in nature and by no means is anything I fry to be taken seriously. I do not grow or condone the growing of anything not Battered. Any and all pies I post are pies widley available at the kebab shop and any sausages I am involved in are purely spare ribs or are commentary in nature and should not constitute nutrition or be considered dietry advice to assist in activities that are deemed to salty.

Dude they need to stop using mice and start using ME in these experiments.

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damn straight, look in the paper,

WANTED
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the next day there wuld be a queue 1 mile long.

one can only dream

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Old Man River
He Just Keeps ROLLING

I'm gonna put on an iron shirt, and chase Satan out of earth
I'm gonna put on an iron shirt, and chase the devil out of earth
I'm gonna send him to outer space, to find another race
I'm gonna send him to outer space, to find another race

"That's what I'm talking about man"-Brian (Half Baked)

they'll implant the tumor soon then

Man right now i am so blazed and i was reading that news and it has made me very happy!! I hope this brings some changes in the thoughts of the government and people.

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