Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41287047›Full record

ArticleJournal of cannabis research2025

Durable complete response of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma using cannabis oil: a report of two cases.

Pieter F van den Berg, Frans van der Heide, Simeon J S Ruiter, Jules J G Slangen, Derk Jan A de Groot, Evert van den Broek, Frederik J H Hoogwater, Maarten W Nijkamp

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Article in Journal of cannabis research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Pieter F van den BergDepartment of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Frans van der HeideDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Simeon J S RuiterDepartment of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Jules J G SlangenDepartment of Radiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Derk Jan A de GrootDepartment of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Evert van den BroekDepartment of Pathology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Frederik J H HoogwaterDepartment of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Maarten W NijkampDepartment of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. m.w.nijkamp@umcg.nl.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide with a grim prognosis. Current treatment options for advanced HCC are limited, and a large proportion of patients is not amenable to any form of treatment, with best supportive care as the only remaining option. Meanwhile, the use of cannabis-derived products is rising in oncological patients who are seeking symptom relief. Cannabinoids, similar to endogenous endocannabinoids, have shown promise in recent preclinical cancer research due to their ability to interact with various signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms of interest. CASE PRESENTATION: In this report, we present two patients (A aged 82 and B 77, respectively) with advanced HCC with a high tumor burden who demonstrated durable and complete regression after use of cannabis oil (A 10% delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 5% cannabidiol (CBD), two droplets sublingually three times daily and B 15% THC and 2% CBD, 5 droplets sublingually two times daily) for symptom relief. The observations in this report build on previous (pre)clinical research highlighting the potential anti-tumor qualities of cannabinoids and stress the need for clinical trials investigating the anti-tumor effects of cannabinoids in cancer patients.

conclusionBased on the two cases presented here, we call for further research into the potential beneficial effect of cannabinoids in patients with advanced HCC.

Indexed as

CannabinoidCannabisHepatocellular carcinomaTreatmentTumor response

Identifiers

PMID41287047
PMCPMC12642083

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.