Fenbendazole is a drug used to treat parasites like roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, lungworms, and certain types of tapeworms. It is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic, and it works by blocking the formation of microtubules in the parasites, thereby killing them. Some research suggests that fenbendazole could also kill cancer cells. However, the FDA told Full Fact that there is insufficient evidence to support fenbendazole as a cancer treatment.
Posts claiming that the dewormer fenbendazole cures cancer have been circulating on social media, including Facebook and TikTok. Many of these posts are based on the anecdotal experience of Joe Tippens, who claims that he was diagnosed with lung cancer and that his tumors went into remission after he started taking fenbendazole in combination with other supplements. He has also claimed that he is now cancer-free and healthy.
But it is important to note that fenbendazole has not been approved by the FDA for cancer treatment, and there are no clinical trials that have tested its effectiveness in humans. Moreover, the evidence supporting the claim that fenbendazole cures tumors is limited to studies of cancer cells in culture and animal models.
In these studies, fenbendazole has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth and promote cell death. It has also been shown to be effective in reducing the size of tumors in mice. Other antiparasitic drugs, such as mebendazole and benzimidazole carbamate (the active ingredient in fenbendazole), have also been found to reduce cancer progression in animal and human studies.
The mechanism by which fenbendazole might kill cancer cells involves preventing microtubule polymerization. Microtubules are proteins that are essential for cell division, and they play a role in separating chromosomes during the mitosis phase of cell growth. During this process, chromosomes are lined up and divided evenly between the two daughter cells. This is accomplished by a structure called the mitotic spindle, which is made of microtubules. Drugs that interfere with the formation of microtubules in cancer cells cause them to die without affecting other healthy cells.
Fenbendazole does this by binding to beta-tubulin, a protein that normally helps form microtubules. As a result, the resulting distorted microtubules can no longer separate chromosomes during cell division, and the cancer cells die.
There are several potential side effects associated with fenbendazole, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach pains. More serious side effects may include liver damage and a loss of bone density.
In the future, researchers hope to combine fenbendazole with other drugs that can help prevent cancer cell resistance. For example, combining fenbendazole with the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin could prevent the formation of cancer cells’ resistant microtubules and kill them more effectively. fenbendazole cancer treatment
