Bladder Cancer Risk Lower in Pot Smokers – Renal & Urology News

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“For the first time, a study has found that cannabis use may be associated with a decreased risk of bladder cancer, researchers reported at the American Urological Association 2013 annual meeting.

In a study of nearly 82,000 men, bladder cancer developed in 279 over an 11-year period. Subjects who smoked marijuana, but not tobacco, had a significant 45% decreased risk of bladder cancer compared with those who did not, after adjusting for age, body mass index, and race and ethnicity, according to lead investigator Anil A. Thomas, MD, a researcher with Southern California Permanent Medical Group in Los Angeles. Men who smoked tobacco, but not marijuana, had a significant 52% increased risk, a finding that is consistent with numerous previous studies. Men who smoked both had a 28% increased risk.

Of the 82,000 men, 41% reported ever using marijuana and 57% reported tobacco use; 27% reported used both tobacco and marijuana.”

http://www.renalandurologynews.com/bladder-cancer-risk-lower-in-pot-smokers/article/292174/#

“Association Between Cannabis Use and the Risk of Bladder Cancer: Results From the California Men’s Health Study.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25623697

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/bladder-cancer/

Marijuana May Lower Bladder Cancer Risk – Medscape

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Smoking marijuana might decrease the smoker’s risk for bladder cancer, a new study shows.

Retrospectively analyzing a large database of patients, researchers at Kaiser Permanente in California found that patients who reported cannabis use were 45% less likely to be diagnosed with bladder cancer than patients who did not smoke at all.

“It’s very exciting because bladder cancer is hard to treat,” said Anil Thomas, MD, a urologist at the Southern California Permanente Medical Group…

Dr. Thomas presented the study here at the American Urological Association 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting.

“We know that tobacco smoking is the best established risk factor for bladder cancer,” Dr. Thomas told reporters attending a news conference. “But to date, there are no epidemiologic studies accurately characterizing the association between cannabis use and bladder cancer.”

Dr. Thomas told Medscape Medical News that he first got interested in exploring this topic while doing some laboratory work in which he exposed prostate cancer cells and bladder cancer cells to cannabis.

“The prostate cancer cells did not show an effect and the bladder cancer cells were devastated,” he said.

Some other research has suggested that cannabis might kill other types of cancer cells as well, he said. “I don’t think the full mechanism is known.””

More: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803983

“Association Between Cannabis Use and the Risk of Bladder Cancer: Results From the California Men’s Health Study.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25623697

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/bladder-cancer/

Study Claims Marijuana Tied to Lower Bladder Cancer Risk – Health

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“New research says smoking pot may be less likely to cause bladder cancer than smoking cigarettes.

The finding is potentially valuable, the study authors said, given the ongoing debate over legalizing marijuana for medical purposes.”

More: http://news.health.com/2013/05/10/study-claims-marijuana-tied-to-lower-bladder-cancer-risk/

Marijuana Linked To Lower Bladder Cancer Risk, Study Says

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“People who smoke marijuana may be less likely to get bladder cancer than those who smoke cigarettes, a new study says.

Marijuana, however, remains classified as the most dangerous controlled substance, Schedule 1, alongside heroine and LSD…

“While there is a plethora of scientific evidence establishing marijuana’s safety and efficacy, the scientific clinical trials necessary to gain FDA approval have long been obstructed by the federal government itself…””

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/13/marijuana-bladder-cancer_n_3267486.html

“Association Between Cannabis Use and the Risk of Bladder Cancer: Results From the California Men’s Health Study.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25623697

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/bladder-cancer/

Fighting Cancer: Another Study Reveals the Cannabis and Cancer Prevention Link

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Does marijuana cause cancer? Revealing the link between cannabis and cancer yet again, researchers with the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco have released findings that further bolster cannabis as an anti-cancer solution.

The researchers have found a compound in the much-talked-about plant could “halt the spread” of many types of aggressive cancers, including breast cancer.

The Cannabis and Cancer Link

Cannabidiol is the compound, and while it fights cancer cells, it does not produce the high feelings commonly associated with cannabis. Instead, it seems to “switch off” the gene responsible for metastasizing breast cancer.

They reportedly found the compound doesn’t only stop the breast cancer cells from growing, but even causes them to return back to normal cells, cancer-free.”

More: http://naturalsociety.com/study-positive-cannabis-and-cancer-link/

Smoking Marijuana Does Not Cause Lung Cancer

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“New research shows here seems to be something in pot that actually undermines cancer, instead of causing it. — and the media are doing their best to ignore it.

There is a groundswell of attention in the news to marijuana’s role in causing and preventing various types of cancers. Last week, AlterNet published an article from the Marijuana Policy Project about a new study finding that pot smokers have a lower risk of head and neck cancers than people who don’t smoke pot…

Smoking pot doesn’t cause lung cancer. In fact, the study found that cigarette smokers who also smoked marijuana were at a lower risk of contracting lung cancer than tobacco-only smokers…

You’d think it would have been very big news in June 2005 when UCLA medical school professor Donald Tashkin reported that components of marijuana smoke somehow prevent them from becoming malignant.

In other words, something in marijuana exerts an anti-cancer effect!”

More:http://www.alternet.org/story/142271/smoking_marijuana_does_not_cause_lung_cancer

Marijuana Unlikely to Cause Head, Neck, or Lung Cancer – WebMD

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Marijuana, unlike tobacco and alcohol, does not appear to cause head, neck, or lung cancer, says a researcher from Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore who presented findings from a study here recently at a meeting of internal medicine physicians.

There has been an ongoing debate about whether marijuana is as dangerous as tobacco in terms of cancer development. Daniel E. Ford, MD, tried to sort out the evidence by the lifestyles — including marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol use — of 164 persons who were newly diagnosed with head, neck, or lung cancer compared to a group of 526 healthy persons living in the same area. The average age of patients was 49, while the average age of the healthy volunteers was 44. The cancer patients were all treated at four Baltimore-area hospitals, and the “controls” (healthy comparison group) were selected from a large group of people living in the Baltimore area who had been participating in an ongoing study. Ford tells WebMD that he wanted to find out whether the cancer patients were more likely to smoke marijuana or tobacco or to drink than were the healthy volunteers.

According to Ford, he thought he would find an association between marijuana use and cancer, but “that the association would fall away when we corrected for tobacco use. That was not the case. The association was never there.” And that surprised him because of the way marijuana is smoked: deep inhalations, with the smoke held in for effect. “It seemed natural that there would be some connection,” he tells WebMD.

Based on these findings, Ford says that cancer prevention efforts should “remain focused on tobacco and alcohol, two known carcinogens.””

More: http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20000508/marijuana-unlikely-to-cause-cancer

Update from WebMD:

“Pot Smoking Not Linked to Lung Cancer

Study Shows No Increased Risk for Even the Heaviest Marijuana Smokers.

People who smoke marijuana do not appear to be at increased risk for developing lung cancer, new research suggests.While a clear increase in cancercancer risk was seen among cigarette smokers in the study, no such association was seen for regular cannabis users.Even very heavy, long-term marijuana users who had smoked more than 22,000 joints over a lifetime seemed to have no greater risk than infrequent marijuana users or nonusers.”

More: http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20060523/pot-smoking-not-linked-to-lung-cancer

Medical Marijuana Inc Announces Positive Developments in Recent Studies Using Cannabidiol (CBD) Compound; NBC News, ABC News and Huffington Post Report California Pacific Medical Center’s Findings That CBD Stops Metastasis in Aggressive Cancers – The Wall Street Journal

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Medical Marijuana Inc Announces Positive Developments in Recent Studies Using Cannabidiol (CBD) Compound; NBC News, ABC News and Huffington Post Report California Pacific Medical Center’s Findings That CBD Stops Metastasis in Aggressive Cancers

SAN DIEGO, May 28, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Medical Marijuana Inc (OTC Pink:MJNA) is pleased to inform shareholders and the general public of recent developments in the research involving Cannabidiol (CBD) and other Phyto-cannabinoids.

The Following is taken from a Huffington Post interview with Dr. McAllister and Dr. Desprez:

A pair of scientists at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco has found that a compound derived from marijuana could stop metastasis in many kinds of aggressive cancer, potentially altering the fatality of the disease forever.

“It took us about 20 years of research to figure this out, but we are very excited,” said Pierre Desprez, one of the scientists behind the discovery, to The Huffington Post. “We want to get started with trials as soon as possible.”

The Daily Beast first reported on the finding, which has already undergone both laboratory and animal testing, and is awaiting permission for clinical trials in humans.

Desprez, a molecular biologist, spent decades studying ID-1, the gene that causes cancer to spread. Meanwhile, fellow researcher Sean McAllister was studying the effects of Cannabidiol, or CBD, a non-toxic, non-psychoactive chemical compound found in the cannabis plant. Finally, the pair collaborated, combining CBD and cells containing high levels of ID-1 in a petri dish.

“What we found was that his Cannabidiol could essentially ‘turn off’ the ID-1,” Desprez told HuffPost. The cells stopped spreading and returned to normal.

“We likely would not have found this on our own,” he added. “That’s why collaboration is so essential to scientific discovery.”

Desprez and McAllister first published a paper about the finding in 2007. Since then, their team has found that CBD works both in the lab and in animals. And now, they’ve found even more good news.

“We started by researching breast cancer,” said Desprez. “But now we’ve found that Cannabidiol works with many kinds of aggressive cancers–brain, prostate–any kind in which these high levels of ID-1 are present.”

Desprez hopes that clinical trials will begin immediately.

“We’ve found no toxicity in the animals we’ve tested, and Cannabidiol is already used in humans for a variety of other ailments,” he said. Indeed, the compound is used to relieve anxiety and nausea, and, since it is non-psychoactive, does not cause the “high” associated with THC.

While marijuana advocates will surely praise the discovery, Desprez explained that it’s not so easy as just lighting up.

“We used injections in the animal testing and are also testing pills,” he said. “But you could never get enough Cannabidiol for it to be effective just from smoking.”

Additional Information:

Dr. McAllister & CBD Research

Dr. Sean McAllister says that he is ready to begin testing CBD on humans to evaluate anti-cancer properties. Dr. McAllister and colleague Pierre Desprez, PhD from California Pacific Medical Center have previously mentioned, “Cannabidiol offers hope of a non-toxic therapy that could treat aggressive forms of cancer without any of the painful side effects of chemotherapy.” “We found that this one compound, CBD, had a specific effect on metastatic cancer cells, very aggressive tumor cells. CBD in animal studies has been used to ‘switch off’ a specific gene regulator.” Dr. McAllister explains: “We find when you treat with CBD, you down regulate the expression of this protein and that inhibits the disease process.” Dr. McAllister and Dr. Desprez have developed a synthetic version of CBD, which they say targets a specific gene in the body related to the spread of cancer (metastasis). Article: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/health&id=9057615

Additional Cannabidiol Information

ABC News-

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/health&id=9057615

Huffington Post-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/marijuana-and-cancer_n_1898208. html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003&ir=Weird%20News

US. National Cancer Institute

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/p age4

Additional Dr. McAllister Publications

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Sean%20McAllister

Additional Published Material on Cannabidiol (CBD)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gquery/?term=CANNABIDIOL”

More: http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130528-906109.html

Marijuana mouth spray for cancer patients tough to abuse – NBC

Posted on May 29, 2013 by David

Image result for nbc news vitals

“The medical marijuana drug Sativex, which could be approved in the United States in the coming years as a treatment for pain relief, has little potential for abuse, experts say.

The British pharmaceutical company GW Pharmaceuticals is currently testing the drug, which is delivered as a mouth spray and called Sativex, in clinical trials. The company plans to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the drug as a treatment for cancer pain when the trials are completed, likely sometime in 2014, a spokesperson for GW Pharmaceuticals told MyHealthNewsDaily.

The active ingredients in Sativex, known as cannabinoids, are derived from the cannabis plant. It is the first marijuana-based drug to be made by extracting the compounds from the plant, rather than synthesizing them. Two other drugs, Marinol and Cesamet, based on synthetic cannabinoids, were approved by the FDA in the 1980s.”

More: http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/01/31/10280678-marijuana-mouth-spray-for-cancer-patients-tough-to-abuse?lite

Cannabis Linked to Decreased Bladder Cancer Risk

Posted on May 29, 2013 by David

“The use of cannabis among men has been linked to a significantly decreased risk for bladder cancer, according to a recent study; however, no cause and effect association has been found.”

“The study, presented at the AUA 2013 Annual Meeting, found that men who reported using cannabis had a 45% lower risk for developing bladder cancer compared with men who did not smoke, even after adjusting for age, BMI, and race/ethnicity.

“Bladder cancer is one of the most prevalent genitourinary malignancies with an estimated 72,570 new cases and 15,210 cancer-related deaths per year in the United States, and it is the fourth most common malignancy in men,” Anil Thomas, MD, study author and endourology fellow at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, said in an e-mail communication. “Importantly, advanced bladder cancer is inherently challenging to treat due to its associated high mortality and lack of effective systemic therapies.””

More: http://www.cancernetwork.com/genitourinary-cancer/content/article/10165/2144158

“Association Between Cannabis Use and the Risk of Bladder Cancer: Results From the California Men’s Health Study… using tobacco only was associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer, whereas cannabis use only was associated with a 45% reduction in bladder cancer… cannabis use may be inversely associated with bladder cancer risk…” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25623697

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/bladder-cancer/