Scientists from Harvard University’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute recently published a study in which they claim a chemical found in cannabis has demonstrated “significant therapy potential” in treatment of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer has a one-year survival rate of just 20 percent and is predicted to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2020.
The chemical, called FBL-03G, is a derivative of a cannabis flavonoid, a naturally occurring compound found in plants. Cannabis flavonoids have been found to have anti-inflammatory benefits.
According to an article published by Yahoo Lifestyle, Harvard researchers were able to genetically engineer the FBL-03G flavonoid and study its effects on treating pancreatic cancer. The study’s researchers described the results as “major.”
“The most significant conclusion is that tumor-targeted delivery of flavonoids, derived from cannabis, enabled both local and metastatic tumor cell kill, significantly increasing survival from pancreatic cancer,” says Wilfred Ngwa, PhD, an assistant professor at Harvard. “This has major significance, given that pancreatic cancer is particularly refractory to current therapies.”
According to Yahoo Lifestyle, the study is the first to demonstrate the potential of new treatments for pancreatic cancer. But that’s not all the researchers found. “We were quite surprised that the drug could inhibit the growth of cancer cells in other parts of the body, representing metastasis, that were not targeted by the treatment,” Ngwa says. “This suggests that the immune system is involved as well, and we are currently investigating this mechanism. If successfully translated clinically, this will have major impact in treatment of pancreatic cancer.”
Read the full article at www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/study-on-cannabis-chemical-as-a-treatment-for-pancreatic-cancer-may-have-major-impact-harvard-researcher-says-165116708.html.
For more information on CBD, a flavonoid found in the hemp plant, and its emerging role in massage therapy, read the new issue of Massage & Bodywork magazine at www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1153082-september-october-2019/48?.