This Illegal Drug Could Be the Answer to Fighting Brain Cancer (NWBO)

This Illegal Drug Could Be the Answer to Fighting Brain Cancer (NWBO)

This Illegal Drug Could Be the Answer to Fighting Brain Cancer

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Sean Williams

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December 14, 2014
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Source: National Cancer Institute via Wikimedia Commons.

There's pretty much nothing scarier than being told you have cancer.


Although I've personally never been given this dreaded diagnosis, I
was there by my mother's side when she was told in late 2009 she had a
stage 3b adenocarcinoma growing in her left lung. Even with the
understanding that some cancer types are more curable than others, the
sheer fact that cancer rates are projected to be on the rise globally
over the next two decades is reason enough for the disease as a whole to
be a genuine concern.


Brain cancer: a truly difficult to treat disease

Of the many different types of cancer, one of the most difficult to
treat is brain cancer. The brain is an extremely tricky organ and is the
most complex in the human body, and it is generally well-protected from
medicines crossing between the blood-brain barrier. Surgeries and even
radiotherapy can sometimes be out of the question for patients that have
brain cancer.

Source: Flickr user Eric Norris.

In 2014, according to the American Cancer Society's "Cancer Facts and Figures" report
about 23,380 new cases of brain and nervous system cancer were expected
to be diagnosed. Additionally, this type of cancer was estimated to
lead to 14,320 deaths this year. That may not sound like a lot compared
to lung cancer or breast cancer, but the figures demonstrate that few
adults live extended periods of time following a brain cancer diagnosis.
But, I'd be also remiss if I didn't point out that different types of
brain cancer can lead to differing diagnoses in terms of overall
survival.


Biopharmaceutical companies are trying, but mostly failing

This isn't to say drug developers aren't trying to hash out the next
generation of treatments for patients suffering from brain cancer. Northwest Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ: NWBO  )
, for example, is in the process of developing a cancer immunotherapy
vaccine known as DCVax-L. Immunotherapies work with a patient's immune
system to strengthen its ability to recognize foreign cells and
hopefully destroy and/or remove them. In DCVax-L's case it's currently
being tested in late-stage trials in the United States as a treatment
for glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive form of brain cancer.


However, Germany granted NW Bio a special approval known as a hospital exemption earlier this year which, for a period of five years, allows NW Bio to treat all glioma patients with DCVax-L.


It's certainly a start, but the grim reality is brain cancer
treatments have mostly disappointed in clinical studies. Yet, one
recently released study suggests that looking toward this currently
illegal drug could be the answer to making significant headway against
aggressive forms of brain cancer.

Source: Flickr user Matthew Kenwrick.

Is this illegal drug the answer?
According to a research abstract released in May by Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, marijuana was suggested in select studies to be effective in combating aggressive gliomas.


For the study, researchers in London wanted to test the effects of
cannabinoids THC and CBD -- cannabinoids are chemicals derived from the
cannabis plant which are designed to exact biologic change in our bodies
through the cannabinoid receptor system -- by themselves and in
combination with radiotherapy. The results demonstrated a "duration and
dose-dependent reduction in cell viability," which in plain English
means that these cannabinoids helped improve the outcome of cell death
when radiation was used.


In fact, the study notes that in instances where both THC and CBD
were pretreated in tumors cells four hours prior to a radiotherapy
session, there was an increased radiosensitivity in those cells,
resulting in greater tumor cell death.


Furthermore, the study's data suggested that the combination of THC
and radiotherapy was more effective in instances where THC was used
directly from the cannabis plant as opposed to using pure, lab-grade
THC.


The last major find demonstrated that marijuana-treated mice
undergoing radiation had their tumors shrink to approximately one-tenth
the size of the tumors of the control group.


Baby steps for marijuana
When it comes to possible medical benefits marijuana, supporters can use all the positive studies they can muster.

Source: Flickr user TharealMrGreen.

At the moment the federal government views marijuana as a schedule 1
drug, and as such it's deemed to possess no medical benefits. However, a
number of studies have now delivered positive reports suggesting that
medical marijuana could help patients with cancer pain, Alzheimer's,
and now possibly aggressive brain cancer. Of course, for each positive
report we've also seen our fair share of studies suggesting that
long-term marijuana usage can be detrimental to our cognition and possibly our bodies.


In other words, it's going to take some time for marijuana to
establish itself as a viable medical alternative, even with 23 states
and Washington D.C. having approved the drug on a state level for
medical purposes. Medical marijuana is going to struggle to really gain
momentum until we have much more substantial long-term data on its
safety to wrap our heads around.


For the time being, I remain hopeful that additional marijuana
studies yield positive benefits for patients fighting diseases for which
there's no cure. But, I also remain acutely realistic to the fact that
the federal government is unlikely to change its tune anytime soon.
Thus, I'm sticking to my ongoing assertion that marijuana stocks are
potentially the most dangerous investment you can buy.

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Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.


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