University of London research found extracts were effective with irradiation. Photo / Thinkstock
Cannabis extracts can help slow the growth of cancerous tumours when used alongside radiotherapy treatments, new research has suggested.
Two active chemical components found in cannabis plants, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) were tested as part of research into the treatment of brain cancer tumours.
This type of cancer is
notoriously difficult to treat and has a particularly poor prognosis. The rate of survival for patients five years after diagnosis is just 10 per cent.
A team at St George's, the University of London, treated brain tumours in mice in a variety of ways, either without any treatment, the cannabinoids alone, irradiation alone or with the cannabinoids and irradiation at the same time.
They found tumours growing in the brains of mice were drastically slowed down when the THC and CBD cannabinoids were combined with irradiation.
