That's nowhere near enough to ward off cancer, but vapourization is a good way to get your 'noids indeed! If you're talking about heating bud until it releases the cannaboinds for inhaling. If you mean those chemical cartridges, YUCK.
If you have chronic pain and you're holding off on using cannabis, that's mighty stoic of you, but probably unwise. Pain is best when under control, otherwise it causes nerve damage in the long term, and permanent pain that can never be soothed. Cannabis not only helps with pain but actually can help heal the source of it... almost no other pain-reliever can say that.