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What is Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells, both good and bad, but specifically those of micro-organisms or cancer. In popular usage, it will usually refer to antineoplastic drugs used to treat cancer or the combination of these drugs into a cytotoxic standardized treatment regimen.

Chemotherapy acts by killing cells that divide rapidly, one of the main properties of cancer cells. This means that it also harms cells that divide rapidly under normal circumstances: cells in the bone marrow, digestive tract and hair follicles; this results in the most common side-effects of chemotherapy–myelosuppression (decreased production of blood cells), mucositis (inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract) and alopecia (hair loss).

(Wikipedia)

Marijuana Facts and Resources:

• Efficacy of dronabinol alone and in combination
  “Dronabinol was as effective as ondansetron in reducing nausea and vomiting.”
• Dronabinol for supportive therapy in patients with malignant melanoma and liver metastases
  “Loss of appetite and nausea due to liver metastases of malignant melanoma can be treated in individual cases supportively with Dronabinol.”
• An efficient new cannabinoid antiemetic in pediatric oncology
  “The THC treatment started two hours before each antineoplastic treatment and was continued every. 6 hrs for 24 hours. Vomiting was completely prevented. The side effects observed were negligible.”
• Dronabinol and prochlorperazine in combination
  “The combination was significantly more effective than was either single agent in controlling chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.”
• Marijuana as antiemetic medicine
  “Two hundred nine (21%) of oncologists reported that the available medicines provided inadequate relief to half or more of their patients (Fig 1). More than half (520, 54%) of the respondents reported that the available antiemetics caused significant problems with side effects in more than a “few” of their patients ( Fig 1). Slightly more than 70% (686) of respondents reported that at least one of their patients had used marijuana as an antiemetic and that they had directly observed or discussed marijuana’s medical use with that patient(s). Marinol had been prescribed by 557 respondents (57%).”
• Efficacy of tetrahydrocannabinol in patients refractory to standard anti-emetic therapy
  “THC decreased nausea and vomiting in 23 of 36 (64%) patients”
• Inhalation marijuana as an antiemetic for cancer chemotherapy.
  “Fifty-six patients who had no Improvement with standard antiemetic agents were treated and 78% demonstrated a positive response to marijuana.”
  
• Nabilone versus prochlorperazine
  “Nabilone effective as antiemetic drug for children” (secondary source)
  
• Antiemetic efficacy of nabilone and alizapride
  “Nabilone superior to alizapride.”
• Nabilone versus domperidone
  “Nabilone superior to domperidone”
• THC or Compazine for the cancer chemotherapy patient
  “nausea reduction was the main determinant of preference between THC and prochlorperazine”
• Comparison of nabilone and prochlorperazine
  “Nabilone is a moderately effective anti-emetic drug”
• Nabilone vs. prochlorperazine for refractory emesis
  “Severity of nausea and number of vomiting ejections and dry retching episodes were significantly less under nabilone.”
• Nabilone vs. placebo
  “Nabilone is an effective antiemetic agent for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.”
• Tetrahydroannabinol (THC) vs prochlorperazine as chemotherapy antiemetics.
  “THC 15 mg was the most effective against vomiting, prochlorperazine was the most effective antinauseant”
• Comparative trial of the antiemetic effects of THC and haloperidol
  “THC and haloperidol equally effective”
• Comparison of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and prochlorperazine
  “no nausea and vomiting in 36 of 79 courses of chemotherapy with THC compared to 16 of 78 courses in patients who received prochlorperazine; improved appetite with THC”
• Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol in cancer chemotherapy.
  “Patients were remarkably free of adverse physiologic effects.”
• Antiemetic effect of tetrahydrocannabinol
  “no nausea and no vomiting (complete response) in 73% (40/55 courses) in THC group”
• Tetrahydrocanabinol versus metoclopramide and thiethylperazine
  “tetrahydrocannabinol given by mouth has an antiemetic effect of approximately the same order as thiethylperazine and metoclopramide”
• Effects of nabilone and prochlorperazine on chemotherapy-induced emesis
  “Both nabilone and prochlorperazine produced antiemetic effects”
• Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol as an antiemetic in cancer patients receiving high-dose methotrexate
  “14 of 15 patients had decreased vomiting and nausea” (secondary source)
  
• THC as an antiemetic in patients treated with cancer chemotherapy
  “dronabinol superior to placebo (P<.01 for difference between groups at days 1 and 8 independently)”
• Amelioration of cancer chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting by delta-9-THC
  “THC was effective in reducing nausea and vomiting but not in all patients”
• Superiority of nabilone over prochlorperazine
  “When both drugs were compared, both nausea and vomiting episodes were significantly lower in patients given nabilone.”
• Antiemetic effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
  “for patients completing the study there were 5 complete responses (no vomiting) and 7 partial responses (50% decrease of vomiting) of overall 15 courses”
• Therapeutic Aspects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids
  “Cannabis and some cannabinoids are effective antiemetics and analgesics and reduce intraocular pressure. There is evidence of symptom relief and improved well-being in selected neurological conditions, AIDS and certain cancers. Cannabinoids may reduce anxiety and improve sleep.”
• Oral vs. Inhaled Cannabinoids for Nausea/Vomiting from Cancer Chemotherapy
  “One-hundred-sixty-nine cancer patients received oral delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or smoked marijuana, to reduce nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy. Both forms were effective with the inhaled form superior for vomiting only.”