Scientists have identified several cannabinoid compounds that could potentially treat colorectal cancer. Share on Pinterest Certain cannabinoid compounds may help in the fight against colorectal cancer. A team at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey tested hundreds of cannabinoids on various types of human colorectal cancer cells in the laboratory. Of these, 10 synthetic cannabinoids showed the ability to stop cancer cell growth. The well-known cannabis compounds tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) showed negligible ability to do the same. The researchers see their findings as a starting point for further studies to better understand the anticancer effects that they observed, and to evaluate the compounds’ potential for drug development. They report their results in a paper that features in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. “Now that we’ve identified the compounds that we think have this activity,” says senior study author Prof. Kent E. Vrana, who is chair of the Department of Pharmacology, “we can take these compounds and start trying to alter them to make them more potent against cancer cells.” “And then, eventually, we can explore the potential for using these compounds to develop drugs for treating cancer,” he adds.

Colorectal cancer and cannabinoids According to the World Cancer Research Fund, colorectal cancer is the “third most common cancer worldwide.” This is also the case in the United States, where a national surveillance program has estimated that colorectal cancer accounted for 8.1 percent of all new cancer incidences in 2018. For several decades, overall rates of colorectal cancer diagnoses and deaths have been falling steadily in the U.S. Experts attribute this largely to changes in risk factors, more widespread screening, and better treatments. However, this overall decline masks an opposite trend in that rates and deaths to colorectal cancer are rising among those of 50 years of age and under. The reasons for this remain unclear, although some suggest that obesity, changes in diet, and an increase in sedentary lifestyles may be involved. Cannabinoids is a term that scientists use to refer to a large group of compounds that mostly exert their effect through cannabinoid receptors. A receptor is a signal-receiving protein that sits on or inside cells and can alter cell behavior when it binds to a molecule that matches its affinity. There are three main categories of cannabinoids. Phytocannabinoids are those that occur naturally in the cannabis, or marijuana, plant; endocannabinoids are those that arise within the body; while synthetic cannabinoids are those that scientists create in the laboratory. Research on the medical uses of cannabinoids has tended to focus on the treatment of pain and conditions such as anxiety and depression. However, more recently, scientists have shown growing interest in the potential anticancer effects of cannabinoids.