London, United Kingdom: Patients with advanced forms of cancer exhibit a clinical response to the long-term use of synthetic CBD, according to data published in the journal Anticancer Research.
British investigators assessed the effects of twice-daily CBD administration on 119 cancer patients over a four-year period. Synthetic CBD oil extracts were provided by the British biotechnology firm STI Pharmaceuticals. Subjects consumed the oil for a minimum period of six months.
Authors reported that over 90 percent of subjects exhibited a clinical response to CBD treatment, with some patients experiencing a reduction in tumor size and tumor cell proliferation.
Numerous prior studies have demonstrated cannabinoids, particularly CBD and THC, to possess anti-cancer activity in preclinical models. To date, however, this activity has not yet been replicated in controlled human trials.
Authors concluded: “The fact that we have been able to document improvement … strongly supports further studies of CBD-based products in cancer patients who have exhausted standard treatments.”
For more information, contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, “Report of objective clinical responses of cancer patients to pharmaceutical-grade synthetic cannabidiol,” appears here. NORML’s literature review on cannabinoids and cancer is online.