A grandmother-of-10, who had a 33mm cancerous tumour in her breast, claims her cancer has not been visible for six months, which she credits to taking cannabis oil.
Lin Coxon, 69, from Willington, Derbyshire, believes she has beaten the disease, with her latest scan showing ‘just small wisps which could be scar tissue’.
Ms Coxon started taking the oil on June 28 while she was awaiting eight rounds of chemotherapy followed by surgery to remove cancerous breast tissue, as well as all her lymph nodes, and finally radiotherapy.
After experiencing remarkable results, Ms Coxon, who is the personal assistant of South Derbyshire MP Heather Wheeler, shunned further treatment, using just the oil to overcome the disease.
Ms Coxon is speaking out to encourage the Government and Cancer Research to carry out studies investigating cannabis oil’s effectiveness in cancer treatment.
She takes the nutritional supplement cannabidiol (CBD), which is derived from cannabis and is legal in the UK. It does not contain any THC, which is the psychoactive component of marijuana that makes users ‘high’.
CBD, which is available for around £20, is thought to possess a range of medicinal benefits and has been reported to help people suffering from migraines, psoriasis, acne and depression.
‘I feel great and really healthy’
Ms Coxon said: ‘The latest scan showed no signs of a tumour, last time a small wisp could be seen which was hardly visible and six months on it is still there but the doctors said this could be scar tissue.
‘The main thing is the scan shows nothing has changed in six months and the cancer has not gone anywhere else, doctors never say you are clear of cancer but I just feel great and really healthy.
‘I haven’t even had a cold since taking it and last winter I had four!’
Ms Coxon decided to start taking the oil after reading how it helped treat other patients, including Asda worker Karen Roberts, who she read about in the local paper The Derby Telegraph.
Ms Roberts was reportedly sent home to die with terminal cancer but, after taking the oil, is in remission two years later.
By the time Ms Coxon was due to start chemotherapy, a scan revealed her tumour had shrunk drastically.
Doctors agreed to monitor her progress after she shunned medical intervention.
‘I feel people have nothing to lose’
Ms Coxon wants to see medical trials testing cannabis oil on patients who are awaiting cancer treatment, arguing such individuals have nothing to lose.
She believes if patients experience no benefits from cannabis oil, they can continue with traditional treatments like chemo and radiotherapy.
Ms Coxon claims she has been contacted by many others who have had similarly positive experiences with CBD.
She said: ‘Since I spoke of my initial success with the oil in October, I have been contacted by other people who have had similar positive experiences – so I really think there is something in it.
‘I just think it has to be looked into further as more people could be helped without the need for medical intervention – and that would also save the NHS a lot of money.’
‘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.
‘It may only help for some cancers – we won’t know, though, until research takes place..’
‘Lin’s story adds to a growing list’
Research into the health benefits of CBD, particularly for cancer, is underway at St George’s, University of London, with medical experts there saying they have been in contact with Ms Coxon.
Dr Wai Liu, senior research fellow at St George’s, 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 have shown how this can be done.
He said: ‘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.’
‘We still need proper trials to know if they are effective’
Dr Catherine Pickworth from Cancer Research UK, told The Derby Telegraph: ‘Researchers have been studying potential cancer-fighting chemicals found in cannabis for a while – but like any new treatment, these should only be used to treat patients once there’s evidence that they improve outcomes.
‘This is not to say that cannabinoids have no future role in cancer treatment and Cancer Research UK supports clinical trials to treat cancer with cannabinoid drugs.
‘But as it stands, we still need proper trials to know if they are effective, for what types of cancer, and at what dose.
‘We don’t advise patients to use cannabis oil or any alternative therapies to treat cancer. Standard medical treatments for cancer are all evidence-based so have been tested to see how safe and effective they are.
‘Some ‘natural’ remedies can interfere with medical treatment so it’s really important that patients speak to their doctor before making any decisions.’
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care added: ‘It is for local NHS commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund new treatments, taking into account National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, available evidence and individual patient’s clinical circumstances.
‘The future availability of any new or novel treatments would be subject to large-scale clinical trials demonstrating the safety and efficacy of the treatment approach and subsequent assessments of its cost effectiveness for routine use.’
