These authors state that metastasis is the main cause of death in patients with melanoma, and acknowledge that cannabis (marijuana) based drugs are effective adjunctive drugs in cancer patients. In this study, researchers evaluated the effectiveness of Cannabis sativa extract on cell migration and gene expression in the melanoma cell line.
In the treatment group, melanoma cells were treated with various concentrations of Cannabis sativa extract, and the control group consisted of untreated melanoma cells.
The results were that gene expression was significantly decreased, and cell migration was significantly reduced compared to controls.
This does NOT mean that marijuana is a treatment for melanoma, but rather it indicates there may be some clinical relevance for developing cannabis based medicines for patients with metastatic melanoma. However it does provide an interesting perspective for those who use the whole plant for natural medicinal purposes.
