Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the most malignant forms of cancer and survival rate is only about 1 year. It has been found that pancreatic tumor tissue has higher concentrations of endocannabinoid receptors than normal pancreas tissue.
In two animal models of pancreatic cancer, cannabinoids (natural components of marijuana) reduced the growth of tumor cells, and in addition, cannabinoid treatment inhibited the spreading of pancreatic tumor cells.
The results of this study show that cannabinoids exert a remarkable anti-tumor effect on pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo due to their ability to selectively induce apoptosis of these cells. These findings may help to set the basis for a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of this deadly disease.
