| Description: | Cannabinoids are currently used in cancer patients to palliate wasting, emesis, and pain that often accompany cancer. A significant advancement in cannabinoid use in cancer treatment came from the discovery of a potential utility of these compounds for targeting and killing cancer cells. In 1975 Munson et al. demonstrated that the administration of ?9-THC, ?8-THC, and cannabinol inhibited the growth of Lewis lung adenocarcinoma cells in vitro as well as in vivo after oral administration in mice. The interest in the anticarcinogenic properties of cannabinoids was even renewed after the discovery of the ECB system and the cloning of the specific cannabinoid receptors. Since then, several cannabinoids have been shown to exert anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in various cancer types (lung, glioma, thyroid, lymphoma, skin, pancreas, uterus, breast, prostate, and colorectal carcinoma) both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, other antitumorigenic mechanisms of cannabinoids are currently emerging, showing their ability to interfere with tumor neovascularization, cancer cell migration, adhesion, invasion, and metastasization. |
