More Breast Cancer Patients Are Using Cannabis
- Four years after his mother's breast cancer diagnosis, Andrew Bowden is the CEO of the multimillion-dollar marijuana business that got her through the disease.
- Mary Bowden was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer in 2016. She's now cancer-free, but says she would've struggled to get through treatment without her son's connections at Item 9 Labs.
- About 40% of breast cancer patients use cannabis, according to a recent study, and most patients who use it say they do so to relieve treatment symptoms, just like Mary.
In 2016, Mary Bowden was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer. Now, she's cancer-free. But she would've struggled to get through treatment without her son's connections at Item 9 Labs, a Phoenix, Ariz.-based cannabis enterprise. She had three grueling rounds of treatment, all of which she says she pulled through because of marijuana something more breast cancer patients are doing to survive treatment.
Read MoreAndrew was inspired by his mother's positive response to using marijuana an interchangeable word for cannabis during her cancer treatment, so he decided to leave his real estate career behind and join Item 9 Labs as a board member in 2018. He was appointed the CEO in 2019.
"Cannabis is truly a medicine," Bowden tells Item 9 Labs, which "went pink by giving green" this October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. "This is what will help future cancer patients thrive and enjoy the rest of their lives. I want to see everyone live life to their fullest, pain free."
Relieving Cancer Treatment Side Effects With Marijuana
People come to Dr. Chin seeking relief for all types of chemotherapy-related ailments, such as nausea, decreased appetite, pain, insomnia or depression marijuana can help with all of these, she says. It remains unclear what type of treatment Mary received for her breast cancer, but chemo is the most common form of treatment.
Some doctors will prescribe Marinol, or synthetic cannabis, to treat these side effects, but Dr. Chin says using the actual cannabis plant is much more helpful for patients.
"That (the actual plant) is much more effective in increasing appetite and decreasing pain for my cancer patients," Dr. Chin says.
Treating Chemo Side Effects With Cannabis
How does marijuana alleviate pain in the body? Dr. Chin explains that humans have a natural cannabis system, or an endocannabinoid system, that our bodies create. But when a person is in chronic pain, these natural pain relievers aren't enough.
"When we utilize phytocannabinoids from the cannabis plant, we are actually replenishing our body's own cannabinoid system," she says. "By doing so, it helps us deal with pain and inflammation much more effectively."
Related: Who Has Access to Medical Marijuana in the U.S.?
More Breast Cancer Patients Are Using Cannabis
About 40% of breast cancer patients use cannabis, according to a recent study, and most patients who use the drug say they do so to relieve symptoms associated with treatment, just like Mary Bowden.
Between Dec. 16, 2019, and Jan. 19, 2020, the Coala-T-Cannabis study surveyed people with a self-reported breast cancer diagnosis who were also members of online health communities Breastcancer.org and Healthline.com. In total, 612 people completed the survey, 257 (42%) of whom reported using marijuana to address medical issues associated with their cancer.
Twenty-three percent of the 257 cannabis users say they use cannabis only for medical purposes, such as relief of symptoms stemming from their illness or cancer treatments. But 77% say they use the drug for medical or recreational reasons to socialize, to feel intoxicated, for fun or relaxation, or just out of curiosity.
Understanding How Medical Marijuana Alleviates Pain
Of the 257 surveyed breast cancer patients who say they use marijuana, it seems to be working for them. About 75% say the drug is "extremely or very helpful" at relieving their symptoms. And about 57% say they have found "no other way" of relieving their symptoms.
If you're considering adding cannabis use to your treatment regimen, make sure to keep your doctor in the loop. And figure out if the U.S. state you live in has a medical marijuana program.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.