sotuchick Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 Posted by CN Staff on August 14, 2004 at 22:27:59 PTBy Jennifer Warner, WebMD Medical News Source: WebMD The active ingredient in marijuana may help fight brain tumors, a new study suggests. Researchers say the cannabinoids found in marijuana may aid in brain tumor treatment by targeting the genes needed for the tumors to sprout blood vessels and grow. Their study showed that cannabinoids inhibited genes needed for the production of vascular growth factor (VEGF) in laboratory mice with glioma brain tumors and two patients with late-stage glioblastoma multiforme, a form of brain cancer. VEGF is a protein that stimulates blood vessels to grow. Tumors need an abundant blood supply because they generally grow rapidly. So when VEGF is blocked, tumors starve from lack of blood supply and nutrients. Blocking of VEGF constitutes one of the most promising tumor-fighting approaches currently available, says researcher Manuel Guzman, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, at the Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, in a news release. Guzman says the findings suggest VEGF may be a new target for cannabinoid-based treatments. Previous studies have shown that cannabinoids could inhibit the growth of tumor-associated blood vessels in mice, but until now little was known about how they worked. The results of the study appear in the Aug. 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research. Cannabinoids May Help Starve Tumors In the study, researchers looked at the effects of cannabinoid treatment on gliobastoma multiforme, a form of brain cancer that affects about 7,000 Americans each year. It's considered one of the deadliest forms of cancer and usually results in death within one to two years after diagnosis. Treatment typically involves surgery, followed by radiation and/or chemotherapy. But despite these efforts to destroy the tumor, this type of brain tumor often survives and starts growing again, which is why researchers are looking for novel ways to attack it. In order to grow, all tumors require a network of blood vessels to feed them, and they create this network through a process known as angiogenesis. VEGF is critical to this process. In the first part of the study, researchers induced brain cancer in mice and then treated them with cannabinoids. They then analyzed the genes associated with the growth of blood vessels in the tumor and found that cannabinoids inhibited several of the genes related to VEGF. In the second part of the study, researchers injected cannabinoids into tumor samples taken from two human glioblastoma patients. "In both patients, VEGF levels in tumor extracts were lower after cannabinoid inoculation," says Guzman. Researchers say more study is needed but the results suggest that cannabinoid-based therapies may offer a new alternative for treatment of these otherwise untreatable brain tumors. SOURCES: Blazquez, C. Cancer Research, Aug. 15, 2004; vol 64: pp 5617-5623. News release, American Association for Cancer Research. Note: Active Ingredient in Marijuana Inhibits Cancer Growth in Early Study.Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD on Friday, August 13, 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatman Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 ....idk how many times i've said it over the years, is a cureall.....now we're finally getting the scientific support for it............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgym Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 ....idk how many times i've said it over the years, is a cureall.....now we're finally getting the scientific support for it.............Yeah dude.i think we're finally shedding the paranoia and separating marijuana from other hard drugs and it's inherent usefulness.First the NY DA Morgenthau talks with Montell Williams about it's effectiveness, now this. Only way is up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuGaRNSpIcE Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 WWOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgym Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 wow, i just re-read this article seriously, and that's quite an astounding discovery as far as cancer research goes...Just imagine if it turns out cannabus is the cure for cancer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tstelkhuni Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 yea, some cancer patients have been allowed to smoke pot to help combat their disease for yrs already - they've even shown it in a movie b4 - the one w/ Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon - she gets cancer and you see her smoking pot outside. I think its called Stepmom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatman Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 ...let's not even start about other products....hemp clothing is affordable and durable......there's even a fuel you can derive from canabus that is cheaper than current gasoline.......blah..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotuchick Posted August 16 Author Report Share Posted August 16 yea, some cancer patients have been allowed to smoke pot to help combat their disease for yrs already - they've even shown it in a movie b4 - the one w/ Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon - she gets cancer and you see her smoking pot outside. I think its called Stepmom.yes I remember that movie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fliptoniaaa Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 i guess im never gonna die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatman Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 ...nah man....youre just not going to die of cancer or a brain tumor......you'll prob die eating box.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuGaRNSpIcE Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 what better way!...nah man....youre just not going to die of cancer or a brain tumor......you'll prob die eating box.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fliptoniaaa Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 ...nah man....youre just not going to die of cancer or a brain tumor......you'll prob die eating box..........well if u think about it box is just as dangerous!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotuchick Posted August 16 Author Report Share Posted August 16 ......you'll prob die eating box..........He'll have a very honorable death! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tstelkhuni Posted August 16 Report Share Posted August 16 well if u think about it box is just as dangerous!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dangerous as in addictive?? (curious minds want to kno) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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