Haematological cancer treatment with cannabinoids
| Disease | Treatment | Patient | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hodgkin lymphoma, stage IIB, with incomplete remission after radio-chemotherapy | At 26 weeks of pregnancy, the patient began on her own a treatment with “cannabis oil”, supposed to be THC-predominant (1 mL to 5 mL, 3 times per day, concomitant to opioids) | 5 years after the first intervention, the patient became pregnant at the age of 21 years | Before starting with cannabis, an MRI scan revealed the progression of the disease; with cannabis, pain, and general status improved, tumour tissue decreased. The patient delivered a boy by C-section at week 34 who presented in the first 24 h postpartum with withdrawal syndrome and intestinal invagination, requiring care in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and surgery with bowel resection | [91] |
| Native leukaemia blasts (acute undifferentiated leukaemia) cultured ex vivo | THC 2.5 % oily solution, (2 times ~1.6 mg per day increased to 6 drops (twice ~5 mg daily); not aimed as antitumour therapy | Elderly patient, palliative supportive care for tumour cachexia | THC showed a considerable plasma inhibitory/pro-apoptotic effect in an apoptosis assay ex vivo; expression of the cannabinoid receptors is a prerequisite to achieve a pro-apoptotic effect in native leukaemia blasts | [87] |
| CLL | Nabiximols single dose, stepwise increased from one actuation (2.7 mg THC + 2.5 mg CBD) to a maximum of 7 actuations (18.9 mg THC + 17.5 mg CBD), 15 patients received the maximal dose | 23 patients (18–80 years) with leukemic indolent B-cell lymphoma, without treatment indication | On the treatment day, there was a signif. decrease in lymphocyte counts; however, cell proliferation and apoptosis did not change; CBD + THC had no effect on the natural course of the disease (median follow-up was 2.8 years, range: 1.4–4.2 years) | [88] |
| Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, positive for Philadelphia chromosome mutation | Five different THC-Es (“Rick Simpson oil”) over a period of 78 days, after unsuccessful bone marrow transplantation and chemotherapy | 14-year-old girl | Extracts reduced blast cells but varied in their effects and side effects; with each new extract, the dose had to be adjusted again, starting with a lower dose; in parallel blast cells increased. The appropriate dose was identified by observation of side effects (euphoria, panic, appetite, nausea, fatigue) as guidance; the patient passed away due to a bowel perforation as a late effect of chemotherapy | [10] |
MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; signif.: significant; ~: about