Since the inception of Breaking Cancer News, we’ve taken pride in never shying away from the tough, and often more controversial, topics surrounding cancer. We also believe that this publication boasts a wide variety of content. Today’s issue might offer one of the best examples of both.
In this edition, we bring you stories on marijuana, LSD and psychedelics, and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs). The common thread? You guessed it, cancer. Now if that’s not variety…
But something else these topics have in common is that each represents something new in the cancer space. A new approach, a new way of thinking, a new method of managing pain and anxiety.
Whether or not you agree with the methods, substances, discoveries, or approaches explored in these stories, the desire to look forward and pursue progress is clear among the people and concepts explored in this week’s coverage.
First, our editor-in chief, Jamie Reno, examines marijuana – both as a means of managing the symptoms of cancer, as well as the belief among some that marijuana’s active ingredients can slow tumor growth.
While this theory requires much more evidence, the possibility and its exploration in preclinical studies will be something to watch.
Next, we take a “trip” into the potential therapeutic benefits of LSD for cancer patients and others diagnosed with terminal illnesses. Long considered a drug with “no accepted medical use in treatment” in the US, a growing body of research is suggesting that LSD and other psychedelics can help cancer patients cope with the reality of their disease and even better prepare for death.
Finally, BCN contributor and scientist, Sevginur Akdaş, examines Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs), which is revolutionizing cancer research and therapy.
According to the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center, induced pluripotent stem cells “are derived from skin or blood cells that have been reprogrammed back into an embryonic-like pluripotent state that enables the development of an unlimited source of any type of human cell needed for therapeutic purposes.”
Sevginur dives into the potential of iPSCs, which could spur the development of personalized cancer therapies.
What’s New This Week:
To Toke or Not to Toke….That is the Question
From Counterculture to Cancer: LSD’s Long, Strange Trip
Revolutionizing Cancer Research and Therapy with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)
