The drug fenbendazole has been used to treat parasitic worms for decades. But research suggests it may also help fight some cancers.

In a series of interviews with patients with lung cancer, researchers found that some reported that fenbendazole, or mebendazole, helped them survive their disease. This was especially true for people who took the dewormer along with other supplements and dietary changes. The findings, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, are important because they suggest that drugs based on the original anti-parasitic medication could shrink tumors and prevent them from spreading to other parts of the body.

Researchers conducted the interviews with 23 cancer patients and one caregiver at a large hospital in South Korea. The patients were randomly assigned to groups and interviewed by a trained moderator. The participants had different types of lung cancer and were being treated at the time of the study. They had either heard about fenbendazole cancer treatment through the media or from acquaintances or family members. Some had taken mebendazole after reading about Joe Tippens’ story and others had taken it in conjunction with other treatments.

The most common way that patients got information about fenbendazole was through TV news and YouTube videos (C, K, L). Some also saw the video of Joe Tippens and learned more about it on the Internet or at an Internet cafe. Most people who got the information through these channels had cross-checked their information with doctors or other sources of accurate medical data before believing it.

Fenbendazole and its related benzimidazoles act as microtubule inhibitors. These molecules are like little ropes that help cell processes run, including cell division and reproduction in cancer cells. By blocking their function, fenbendazole makes it difficult for the cells to grow and divide and eventually causes them to die.

But in addition to its role as a microtubule inhibitor, fenbendazole has many other properties that make it an effective anticancer drug. It can prevent cancer cells from taking up glucose and it blocks multiple cellular pathways that tumors use to grow and spread.

Researchers have also discovered that fenbendazole is effective at blocking the RAS-related signaling pathway in cancer cells with a KRAS mutation. This means that fenbendazole may be particularly helpful in treating tumors that have this type of mutation.

The next step is to determine how fenbendazole can best be combined with other cancer-fighting agents. The researchers plan to conduct clinical trials of the combination in cancer patients with tumors that have a mutation in their RAS gene.

Besides fenbendazole, this combo includes other natural compounds and dietary changes. These include quercetin, a compound that works to limit the cancer cell’s ability to take up glucose; and berberine, another compound that inhibits the growth of cancer cells. These compounds have shown promise in several animal studies and are undergoing further testing in human cancer patients. If they prove to be safe and effective, the team hopes that they can develop a drug that will be available to all patients in need. fenbendazole cancer treatment