Yo, what’s up everyone? It’s your boy Dan and I’m here to talk about something real serious: ovarian cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, this disease will affect over 19,000 women in 2023 alone, and sadly, 13,000 of them will lose their lives. It’s the eighth most common type of cancer affecting women all over the world. The real problem is that the symptoms are too common among women – stomach pain and bloating – making it difficult to diagnose until it’s in later stages. But there’s some promising research out there on the benefits of cannabis and hemp for treating ovarian cancer.
A group of researchers from Southern Illinois University are currently looking into how marijuana compounds can help treat ovarian cancer. Dr. Dale “Buck” Buchanan is leading the charge to figure out how we can prevent this disease in the first place. Most of the research out there is focused on increasing “progression-free survival” but prevention is key, according to Dr. Buchanan. They found that Omega 3 acids, which come from flaxseeds, are beneficial in reducing the risk of ovarian cancer – a whopping 70% reduction in severity and 30% reduction in incidence just by adding flax to an animal’s diet.
Titas Roy, a graduate student working with Dr. Buchanan, explains that cannabinoids produced inside our bodies bind to specific receptors in the endocannabinoid system. Receptor one is found abundantly in ovaries and cancer could potentially increase the expression of those receptors. The researchers are working to figure out how proteins produced in ovaries impact each other to better understand the link between ovarian cancer and cannabinoids.
Meanwhile, a study from Kentucky analyzed how locally grown hemp may help fight ovarian cancer by reducing the ability of cells to migrate and slowing down cancer comparable, or even better than, chemotherapy drugs like Cisplatin. A new study out of Israel shows that cannabis extracts containing CBC and CBD were both effective in treating head and neck cancer cells in laboratory experiments through whole cannabis extracts.
All this research suggests that cannabis could have some serious cancer-killing abilities and be used alongside chemotherapy to make treatment more effective and bearable. With so many women losing their lives to ovarian cancer alone, we need scientists to figure out how we can administer cannabis safely and effectively for treatment as well as prevention.
Stay safe out there, y’all!