Fenbendazole is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug used to treat parasitic worms in cattle, horses, dogs, cats, ferrets and exotic species. It belongs to the benzimidazole carbamate family of drugs and has been in clinical use for over 50 years.
It has been shown to be effective in killing cancer cells in laboratory mice and cell culture experiments. However, it is unclear whether it can cure human cancer.
How does fenben work?
Fenbendazole is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug used to treat giardiasis, whipworms, roundworms, hookworms, the tapeworm genus Taenia (but not Dipylidium caninum, the common dog tapeworm), pinworms, hydatid cysts, and strongyloides. It is also used in veterinary medicine to treat parasites of livestock, cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, reptiles, freshwater shrimp tanks, and seals.
A series of videos posted online by an unlicensed veterinarian has gained traction on Facebook and TikTok, portraying a Canadian man’s story of curing his small-cell lung cancer with a combination of fenbendazole and other ingredients. The man, Joe Tippens, had been diagnosed with stage three small-cell lung cancer and later discovered that the disease had spread to his pancreas, lungs, stomach, and liver.
We conducted focus group interviews with 21 lung cancer patients to examine how they got information about fenbendazole, the quality of that information, and their perception of it.
What are the side effects of fenben?
The side effects of fenbendazole are rare and generally mild. It has been reported that fenbendazole may interfere with B cell function in humans, but this does not appear to be of significant clinical importance. It is important to note that fenbendazole should not be used in combination with immunosuppressive drugs, as this could result in increased toxicity and adverse events.
Although fenbendazole has an excellent track record as an animal anthelmintic, its human use is limited (e.g., Ann Trop Med Parasitol 1976 Jun;70(6):205-11, Single dose of fenbendazole was effective in the treatment of Ascaris and gave substantial egg counts reductions in hookworm and Trichuris) and its safety is unknown for long term use.
Can fenben cure cancer?
Fenben, or more specifically benzimidazole carbamate drugs like it, interferes with microtubules in cells, blocking important cell functions. This has been shown to kill cancer cells in a laboratory setting and in live animals, as well as inhibit glucose uptake in the tumors of humans with non-small lung cancer.
Another study found that fenbendazole reduced the growth of cancer cells in mice by interfering with the cell cycle. The drug prevents the cell from reaching metaphase (the stage of mitosis when chromosomes are lined up and evenly separated), as well as blocking a key glycolytic enzyme called hexokinase.
However, despite the promising results of this research, there is insufficient evidence that fenbendazole can cure cancer on its own. The nonprofit organization Cancer Research UK told Full Fact that there is “insufficient evidence that fenbendazole is an effective cancer treatment in people” and the drug hasn’t gone through clinical trials to determine whether it’s safe or effective for patients.fenben for humans