CBD and CBC show promising results in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

A study published in the journal Cancers discovered that cannabis extracts rich in CBD (cannabidiol) can kill head and neck cancer cells. Research examined the anti-tumor effects of 24 different cannabis extracts on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and found that CBD-dominant extracts can induce apoptosis and kill cancer cells. The combination of CBD with cannabichromene (CBC), in a 2:1 ratio, made the effect even stronger.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (abbreviated to HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and accounts for more than 90% of head and neck cancers. Despite significant advances in cancer screening and prevention, HNSCC is still responsible for approximately 450.000 deaths per year worldwide.

The researchers believe that the results of the pre-clinical study suggest that cannabis extracts already used in palliative care to manage symptoms may have an additional, previously unknown, anti-cancer effect.

Israel: one of the main countries leading cannabis research

The study was carried out and completed in 2023 by researchers from various departments at two Israeli Universities, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, with extracts provided by Cannasoul Analytics. The research concluded that CBD-dominant decarboxylated extracts caused a significant increase in cell death in all HNSCC cell lines that were tested. The effect was dose-dependent, with a greater percentage of cells dying when higher concentrations of extract were applied.

The researchers confirmed that this cell death was the result of the extracts that induced apoptosis. When CBD was combined with CBC or THC, the effect on cancer cells increased to match that of the complete extract. The researchers determined that a combination of CBD-CBC or CBD-THC in a 2:1 ratio was the most potent in terms of its cytotoxicity.

The researchers point out that medical cannabis is already being used in many areas as a palliative treatment for cancer patients. “Based on this research, these chemovars (chemically and genetically distinct cannabis strains) may provide additional anticancer properties in addition to the palliative effects that cancer patients may benefit from,” they wrote. “In addition, we recommend extracts enriched with CBC to achieve a CBD/CBC ratio of (2:1) to maximize the cytotoxic effect in HNSCC.”

Although more research is needed to determine the exact mechanism of action, the results of this study suggest that CBD-rich cannabis extracts may have potential as a new therapy for HNSCC.