Pancreatic cancer – better known as pancreatic cancer – is one of the most feared forms of cancer. The problem? The disease is often diagnosed late, spreads rapidly, and responds poorly to standard treatments like chemotherapy or radiation. As a result, the prognosis for patients remains unfortunately limited.

Yet, hope is emerging from an unexpected source: the cannabis plant . Besides the well-known substances CBD and THC , cannabis contains a wealth of lesser-known compounds that are attracting increasing attention from the medical community. One of the most intriguing of these is cannflavins – flavonoids found only in cannabis.

What makes pancreatic cancer so complex?

Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat because tumors are often surrounded by a tough, protective layer of connective tissue. This barrier makes it difficult for medications to actually reach the tumor. Moreover, this type of cancer exhibits strong resistance to cell death, often making therapies less effective.

This means there's an urgent need for new, innovative treatments . And that's precisely where research into natural substances like cannflavin comes in.

Cannflavins: The Hidden Power of Cannabis

Cannflavin A, B, and C are bioactive compounds that have been receiving increasing attention in scientific research in recent years. What makes them unique is that they can work simultaneously on several fronts:

• Anti-inflammatory: Cannflavins inhibit COX enzymes, which are often overactive in cancer cells and contribute to tumor growth.

• Anti-cancer effects: They can stimulate apoptosis (programmed cell death), which makes it less likely that cancer cells will multiply.

• Breaking down the tumor barrier: Research suggests that cannflavins help break down the fibrotic barrier surrounding tumors, allowing for better treatment penetration.

In short, cannflavins could hold the key to more effective therapies for pancreatic cancer.

From nature to laboratory: synthetic variants

Because cannflavins are not yet commercially available in their natural form, synthetic variants are now being developed. One example is FBL-03G , which has been approved by the US FDA for clinical trials in patients with pancreatic cancer.

The initial results are promising: in addition to slowing tumor growth, this substance also appears to be able to prevent its spread to other organs. It could therefore herald a whole new class of drugs.

Why Whole Plant Extract Counts

Peter Vermeul, founder of CBD Spain and a pioneer in the field of medicinal cannabis, emphasizes in his research that it's not just about individual substances. The cannabis plant contains more than 150 active compounds—cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and acid forms—that reinforce each other in a so-called entourage effect .

This means that a whole plant extract can often be more effective than a single isolated component. For patients with pancreatic cancer, this could mean that an extract not only targets the tumor but also provides relief from pain, inflammation, and nausea caused by heavy treatments.

The way forward

Although much of this research is still in the preclinical phase, there is a growing belief that plant-based compounds like cannflavin could play a significant role in future oncology. They are not intended to replace existing therapies, but rather to serve as valuable additions that can make treatments more effective and improve patients' quality of life.

The integration of natural extracts into cancer therapy still requires extensive clinical research. However, current insights offer a promising perspective for a disease that currently has so few treatment options.

Want to know more?

Want to delve deeper into the research, explore the scientific sources, and read Peter Vermeul 's full analysis? Discover the full article on our science page or open the article here:

• Cannflavin The Key to the Medicinal Cannabis Treasury -pdf NL
• Cannfalvin The Key to the Medicinal Cannabis Treasure Chest -pdf EN