Latest on the medical use of marijuana or marijuana products:

(April 17 2007, Boston USA)

could this perhaps apply to HCC too, I wonder.

Marijuana Compound May Fight Lung Cancer
In cells and in mice, THC shrank tumors, scientists say

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

     TUESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- While smoking marijuana is never
good for the lungs, the active ingredient in pot may help fight lung cancer,
new research shows.

     Harvard University researchers have found that, in both laboratory and
mouse studies, delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cuts tumor growth in half in
common lung cancer while impeding the cancer's ability to spread.

     The compound "seems to have a suppressive effect on certain lines of
cancer cells," explained Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox
Hill Hospital in New York City.

     According to the researchers, THC fights lung cancer by curbing
epidermal growth factor (EGF), a molecule that promotes the growth and
spread of particularly aggressive non-small cell lung cancers. "It seems to
go to (EGF) receptor sites on cells and inhibit growth," said Horovitz, who
was not involved in the study.

     The findings are preliminary, however, and other outside experts urged
caution.

     "It's an interesting laboratory study (but) you have to have enough
additional animal studies to make sure the effect is reproducible and to
make sure that there are no overt toxic effects," said Dr. Norman Edelman,
chief medical officer of the American Lung Association. "It's a little more
than tantalizing because it's a compound that we know has been in humans and
has not caused major problems."

     The findings were to be presented this week at the annual meeting of
the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Los Angeles.

     Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in the world. Lung tumors
that over-produce the EGF receptor tend to be extra-aggressive and don't
respond well to chemotherapy.

     THC is the main active ingredient of Cannabis sativa --marijuana. It
has been shown to inhibit tumor growth in cancer, but specific information
on its action against lung cancer has so far been limited.

     In the new study, the researchers first showed that two different lung
cancer lines, as well as samples from patient lung tumors, produced the
cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2.

     Endocannabinoids -- cannabinoids produced naturally in the body -- are
thought to have an effect on pain, anxiety and inflammation when they bind
to cannabinoid receptors.

     Next, the researchers injected standard doses of THC into mice
implanted with human lung cancer cells. After three weeks of treatment,
tumors shrank by about 50 percent in animals treated with THC, compared to
those in an untreated control group, the researchers reported.

     The findings may shed light on a question that has been puzzling
Horovitz: Why hasn't there been a spike in lung cancer in the generation
that smoked a lot of marijuana in the 1960s.

     "I find it fascinating, wondering if the reasons we're not seeing this
spike is that THC inhibits lung cancer cells," he said. "It would be very
ironic, although you certainly wouldn't tell somebody who smoked cigarettes
to add marijuana."

     A second set of findings presented at AACR suggested that a
viral-based gene therapy could target both primary and distant tumors, while
ignoring healthy cells.

     When injected into 15 mice with prostate cancer, this "smart bomb"
therapy eliminated all signs of cancer -- effectively curing the rodents.
Researchers at Columbia University, in New York City, said the therapy also
worked in animals with breast cancer and melanomas.

     And in a third hopeful trial reported at the meeting, German
researchers at University Children's Hospital, in Ulm, said they've used
measles viruses to treat brain tumors. In mouse experiments, the virus
attached to the tumor from the inside out, the team said.

     More information

     For more on lung cancer, head to the American Lung Association.

     SOURCES: Norman Edelman, M.D., chief medical officer, American Lung
Association, New York City; Len Horovitz, M.D., pulmonary specialist, Lenox
Hill Hospital, New York City; April 17, 2007, presentations, annual meeting,
American Association for Cancer Research, Los Angeles

     Last Updated: April 17, 2007