Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer (aka renal cancer) is a type of cancer that starts in the kidneys. There are several subtypes of kidney cancer, of which clear cell renal cell carcinoma, papillary renal cell carcinoma, and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma are the most common. Back pain, a lump in the abdomen, blood in the urine, fever, weight loss and tiredness. The overall five-year survival rate is 75% in the United States, 71% in Canada, 70% in China, and 60% in Europe. Treatment may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.

Cannabis and cancer is a complicated subject, as there are so many different cancers, and they all respond to cannabinoids in different ways – and that’s just in lab studies and animals, let alone people! There are a large number of CB1 receptors in nephrons (a renal tubule and corpuscle, making a functioning unit in the kidney), and these CB1 receptors may be lost in those with some types of kidney cancer. “CB1 down-regulation may play a role in increased proliferation [of] renal tumours, specifically clear-cell renal cell carcinomas.”

However, there is little definitive clinical evidence that cannabis can help treat cancer of any kind – more research is needed.

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