- Lin Coxon, 69, from Derby, took the £39 oil while waiting for treatment
- Told she needed eight rounds of chemotherapy, a lumpectomy and radiotherapy
- But before she had it, scans showed 33mm tumour had shrunk and is now 4mm
- Cancer also spread to lymph nodes which have reduced from 25mm to 10mm
- Researchers at St George's, University of London, are now looking at her case
- Lin is one of 'a growing and large collection' of patient testimonies, they said
A
grandmother-of-ten has claimed her cancerous breast tumour has shrunk to
an eighth of the size since she started taking cannabis oil.
Lin Coxon was told she needed aggressive treatment – including eight rounds of chemotherapy – but has now opted to not have it.
The 69-year-old's cancer had also spread to her lymph nodes and she has said these have now reduced by more than half.
Her case has now sparked the interest of scientists at St George's, University of London, who are studying cannabinoid treatment of cancer in mice.
Lin,
from Derby, said: 'Going public with this was a big decision but I do
not feel I can morally keep this to myself any longer.
'I cannot say cannabis oil will work for anyone else but my experience would seem to show it is worth trying.
'I feel people have nothing to lose especially if they are waiting for chemotherapy.'
Lin Coxon says she is choosing
to no longer have chemotherapy after claiming cannabis oil has
dramatically shrunk her tumour while she was waiting for treatment
Olivia Newton-John, pictured with daughter Chloe Lattanz, plans to use cannabis oil as part of her treatment for breast cancer
Lin is one of a number of cancer patients providing anecdotal reports that medical cannabis oil has improved their prognosis.
Studies
suggest cannabis compounds may kill certain malignant cells in the lab.
However, experts warn there is no definitive proof yet of its effects
on cancer in humans.
In June, Olivia
Newton-John's daughter recently revealed that her mother will be
treating her second breast cancer diagnosis with medicinal marijuana,
along with traditional treatment.
'I had nothing to lose'
On
June 28, Lin was told by doctors at the Royal Derby Hospital that her
breast lump measured 33mm and that it had invaded nearby lymph nodes and
muscle.
They said she would need
intensive chemotherapy followed by a lumpectomy and the removal of all
the lymph nodes. This would then have to be followed by radiotherapy.
But
while waiting for her chemotherapy to start, Lin began researching the
condition and read other cancer patients reporting that cannabis oil had
helped them, including the case of Asda worker Karen Roberts which she
read about in her local paper the Derby Telegraph.
Lin
bought the same cannabinoid oil as Karen – which is legal and sold
without the psychoactive component that causes a high – at a health shop
and began taking it while waiting for her chemotherapy to start on
August 26.
Researchers at St George's, University of London, are studying Lin's case with interest
She
now claims it has shrunk the tumour so much she has chosen not to have
any medical intervention, although doctors have advised she does.
Lin
said: 'Obviously it was a major shock but I did some reading in the
days that followed and saw there were reports that cannabis oil, which
is available as a food supplement, could have beneficial effects so I
decided I had nothing to lose.
'By July
24 I could not feel the tumour, before it had felt hard. With my
chemotherapy due to start on August 23 I asked if I could have another
scan but the hospital said no, so my GP suggested I had it done
privately which I did on August 21.
'The
doctor at the Nuffield Hospital was staggered when he saw the tumour
had shrunk from 33mm to 11mm and my lymph nodes had gone from 25mm to
10mm.
'He did a mammogram and saw the
whole density had changed which was amazing news, so as it was shrinking
so dramatically I spoke to my consultant and deferred the
chemotherapy.'
Lin said she is continuing to take the cannabis oil and the tumour is still shrinking.
'The tumour is now down to 7mm with no medical treatment and the lymph nodes are down to 4mm.
'The
clinician at the Royal Derby said I should still have chemotherapy but I
said I didn't want to as things were moving in the right direction.
'I asked my consultant if he would still be happy to monitor me and he said he would.'
Lin pays £39 for a bottle. She has a few drops each day and a bottle lasts her ten days.
The key to defeating cancer?
Cannabis oil has not yet been approved for use on the NHS – but is readily available to buy online as a food supplement.
It has been widely reported to help other conditions such as arthritis, depression, MS and other illnesses.
Research
into the health benefits of taking cannaboids – particularly for cancer
– is currently being undertaken at St George's, University of London,
and the experts there have been in contact with Lin.
Dr Wai Liu, senior research fellow said: 'I was very interested to hear of Lin's case.
'Cannabidiol,
which is just one element of the cannabis plant and one that does not
have any psychoactive effect on people, has been shown to target
communication signals that are malfunctioning in cancer cells.
'It
is thought that by correcting these signals we can enable cancer cells
to essentially die rather than duplicate. So it may hold the key to
understanding how to defeat cancer in some areas.
'We
at St George's, University of London, have shown how this can be done.
Although our data has mainly been laboratory- based, we have a growing
and large collection of testimony from patients using cannabidiol,
usually in a cannabis oil type product, who report positive effects on
their battle with this dreadful disease.
'Lin's
story is one that adds to this growing list and we wish her all the
best in her treatment which should always be under the supervision of
her doctors.'
'Sent home to die'
A picture of the £39 bottle of cannabis oil Lin claims has shrunk her tumour
Lin,
who works as a personal assistant to South Derbyshire MP Heather
Wheeler, said she was inspired after reading about how Karen Roberts, of
Stenson Fields, who was described as 'terminally ill' with
non-hodgkinson lymphoma, took the oil and turned her health around.
Karen
said she was sent home by the hospital to die as they said there was
nothing else they could do for her – just after she lost husband Garry
to leukaemia in 2015.
The hospital took
away her medicine so she took the oil to initially relieve her pain –
but it helped her health improve and she is now in remission.
Karen
said: 'I wasn't bothered at the time, I had lost Garry and was ready to
go myself but my kids had read about the oil online and persuaded me to
try it. That was two years ago I haven't looked back since.
'I was sent home to die but am still very much here and am due back at work in Asda in March and am looking forward to it.
'Lin spoke to me about what I did and I told her – I am so glad she is doing so well.'
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