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A grandmother says cannabis oil has helped to almost beat her cancer after a malignant tumour in her breast all but disappeared.

Lin Coxon, of Willington in Derbyshire, is sharing her story with the government as she hopes to urge them to fund a medical trial testing cannabis oil on patients waiting for cancer treatment.

She was diagnosed with the disease on June 28, and a scan revealed how the lump measured 33mm and had invaded her lymph nodes.

Lin was warned her treatment would involve eight rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a lumpectomy and the removal of all lymph nodes, all followed by radiotherapy.

But while waiting for her treatment to start in August the 69-year-old read how, in some cases, cannabis oil had been found to help treat cancer so she bought some and began taking it.

(Image: Derby Telegraph)

(Image: Wales Online)

Incredibly her last scan revealed the cancer has completely gone from her lymph nodes and the tumour is hardly visible.

She said doctors at the hospital are fascinated by her case and are continuing to monitor her progress even though she isn’t going ahead with the chemotherapy as they originally suggested.

Lin told the Derby Telegraph: "I feel fantastic and can tell it has almost gone. Before it felt like a hard lump but after a few weeks of taking the oil it had shrunk so much I couldn't feel it. Now it's almost gone and, on the scan, you could see how the density has changed from something that looked solid where now the only bit that is left looks like a tiny bit of smoke.

"I bought cannabis oil from a health shop in Ashbourne and decided to take a few drops - I didn't have anything to lose as I was waiting for my chemotherapy to start so thought I may as well give it a try. I am so glad I did.

"The doctors are still monitoring me and said if it did come back I would have to have chemotherapy and of course I would but I just want to see how it goes now.

"In fact at my last appointment the doctors said the tumour was so small they could to a lumpectomy to get it out - but I said let's just see how the oil works for a bit longer.

"Since I spoke of my initial success with the oil in The Derby Telegraph 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 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."

Now Lin, who is Southern Derbyshire MP Heather Wheeler's personal assistant, wants the Government to take notice of her case and she has written to Steve Brine MP who is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and primary care asking about funding a trial in Derby which would allow patients diagnosed with cancer and waiting for treatment to take the oil in the meantime if they wanted to.

Then the hospital could scan them before they had treatment to see if taking the oil has had any effect.

She said: "I just think it has to be looked into further as more people could be helped without the need for medical intervention - and, if that is the case, it would also save the NHS a lot of money."

(Image: Derby Telegraph)

The grandmother-of-ten, said she was inspired to try the cannabis oil after reading in The Derby Telegraph how it had helped Asda worker Karen Roberts. She was sent home to die with terminal cancer but took the oil - and now two years later is in remission.

Lin bought the oil, which is legal and sold minus the psychoactive component that causes a high, at a health shop in Ashbourne. It cost a £39 a bottle. She has a few drops each day and a bottle lasts her ten days.

The oil has not yet been approved for use on the NHS - but is readily available to buy online as a food supplement - although it has been widely reported to help other conditions such as arthritis, depression and MS.

Research into the health benefits of taking cannaboids - particularly for cancer - is currently being undertaken at St George's, University of London, and the medical experts there have been in contact with Lin.

Dr Wai Liu, senior research fellow at St George's, University of London, 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.”