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Lung cancer patient who had declined conventional cancer treatment: could the self-administration of ‘CBD oil’ be contributing to the observed tumour regression?
  1. Kah Ling Liew1,
  2. Ermanno Capuano2 and
  3. Bernard Yung3
  1. 1Respiratory Department, Watford General Hospital, Watford, UK
  2. 2Radiology Department, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Basildon, UK
  3. 3Respiratory Department, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Basildon, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Kah Ling Liew; kahling.liew1{at}nhs.net

Abstract

Conventional lung cancer treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy; however, these treatments are often poorly tolerated by patients. Cannabinoids have been studied for use as a primary cancer treatment. Cannabinoids, which are chemically similar to our own body’s endocannabinoids, can interact with signalling pathways to control the fate of cells, including cancer cells. We present a patient who declined conventional lung cancer treatment. Without the knowledge of her clinicians, she chose to self-administer ‘cannabidiol (CBD) oil’ orally 2–3 times daily. Serial imaging shows that her cancer reduced in size progressively from 41 mm to 10 mm over a period of 2.5 years. Previous studies have failed to agree on the usefulness of cannabinoids as a cancer treatment. This case appears to demonstrate a possible benefit of ‘CBD oil’ intake that may have resulted in the observed tumour regression. The use of cannabinoids as a potential cancer treatment justifies further research.

  • respiratory medicine
  • lung cancer (oncology)
  • complementary medicine
  • cancer intervention
  • malignant disease and immunosuppression

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Footnotes

  • Contributors Supervised by and patient was under the care of BY. Report was written by KLL and BY. Imaging and related reporting by EC.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.