[VDC]

Let me clarify a bit on cannabis. I have been working with a researcher who is very well versed on cannabis. Here is what we know.


For HER2+ disease, there is an 80% likelihood that tumors will overexpress CB2 receptors. This is the receptor that THC targets. So for HER2+ disease a 1:1 ratio of CBD to THC is recommended. Usually around 125 mg of CBD to 125 THC in a 24 hours period.



However, for the other 20% that does not overexpress CB2 receptors THC can actually make the cancer grow much more quickly. This is because THC actually suppresses the immune system. Fro thoser tumors that overexpress CB2 that isn't a problem because the THC is shutting down the tumor by binding with CB2. BUT for cancer that does NOT overexpress the CB2 receptors that immune suppression allows the cancer to explode and grow. This is what is being seen in women. This is particularly true for women who have hormone positive disease. Hormone positive breast cancer is less likely to overexpress HER2 in the tumor. And it is more likely to grow with the addition of THC.


The recommendation for hormone positive disease is higher CBD than THC. The usual recommendation is 125 mg CBD and 25 mg THC .


The old Rick Simpson recommendation of a gram a day and high in THC only worked for HER2+ disease or in disease that had an overexpression of CB2 receptors. But it didn't work for everyone else and often caused greater growth. For the most part this Rick Simpson Protocol has been debunked by the true research.



CB1 is the receptor hit by CBD oil. This seems to be a good target for everyone regardless of hormone status or HER2 status. But as things are being learned, it appears that CBD doesn't work as well unless there is SOME THC also. And what seems to be working for women is about 4:1 or 5:1 CBD to THC with 125 mg of CBD and 25 mg of THC.



My own experience is still shaking my world. I had HER2+ hormone negative disease in 2016, and had surgery in October of the same year. I was told that I had a 35-40% chance of recurrence within 5 years. I did a LOT of research! (I am an Organic/Biochem gal by training, education and trade) A few months after y surgery and the end of treatment, I decided to add cannabis oil to my life (against everything I have ever believed about cannabis). Because i had no way to monitor the effect of cannabis on my cancer (I was considered cancer free so there was nothing to monitor for effectiveness) I wasn't keen on trying the higher THC protocol. I decided to take 125 mg of CBD and 20-25 mg of THC in a 24 hour period. I never dreamed there would be a way to know if it was helping keep my cancer at bay.



However, last December when I had my yearly MRI, They found a new spot in the tumor bed. It was biopsied and found to be a very very rare kind of cell. It is rare and even when it is found, it is usually in young women. BUT it wasn't cancer and I was elated!



Then the researcher that I have been working with, asked if she could share my pathology report with Dr. Sanchez in Spain. Dr. Sanchez is a researcher working on cannabis and cancer. I consented as long as my name wasn't included. Dr. Sanchez was excited about my biopsy because she said this kind of cell is exactly what she finds when she treats breast cancer with cannabis. She felt my pathology report was the proof of what she sees in her lab.



I can't prove it. IT could be just a really big coincidence. But it would be one in a million if it is a coincidence. What are the chances of finding this particular kind of cell exactly in the tumor bed? Very rare indeed.


I personally do believe that the cannabis kept my cancer from returning. My oncologist admitted she was very very surprised that my cancer hasn't returned. She thought I would recur within the first year. with my ONCO DX score of 79, it was off the charts literally. Everyone assumed I would recur quickly. But it has been 20 months and I am still cancer free......even if I DO have those rare cells in the tumor bed!



Anyway, the research on cannabis is ongoing. It is hard for women and others to keep up on the latest research on it. And it is even harder to ferret out the differences in Breast Cancer and how each component of cannabis must be tailored to the kind of Breast cancer. It IS NOT a one size fits all!



And one more thing. Cannabis is NOT safe to take with some cancer medications. There have been cases of death by women who took cannabis while taking other cancer medications. Cannabis uses some of the same breakdown pathways as other drugs. This means that cannabis can make other medications increase in concentration in the body. And sometimes those can be dangerous at higher levels. You can use a "drug checker" to check for interactions but cannabis is rarely found in those drug checkers. It is possible to use "grapefruit" as a surrogate for cannabis when using the drug checkers. But my advice would be to seek out a knowledgeable cannabis doctor or nurse who knows which medications interact with cannabis.