Fenbendazole Cures Cancer
Fenbendazole is a widely used anthelmintic with antiparasitic activity. In cancer research, it is also known to exert antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo. In the latter, it is reported to act by inhibiting tubulin polymerization, and inducing mitotic catastrophe in mammalian cells. In a series of experiments, we tested the effect of intensive regimens of fenbendazole on the growth and radiation response of EMT6 mammary tumors in mice. Tumor-bearing BALB/cRw mice were randomized to receive three daily i.p. injections of 50 mg/kg/day fenbendazole, or to receive these drugs plus x-rays. The results shown in Figure 2 indicate that the fenbendazole-only groups did not show any growth retardation of EMT6 tumors.
The fenbendazole-plus-x-rays group, on the other hand, showed a substantial retardation of EMT6 tumor growth. This result was confirmed by a dose-response experiment. The fenbendazole-plus-x-rays regimen was found to be more effective than either of the individual treatments, in terms of the number of mice showing complete tumor regression.
Our investigation was prompted by false claims that a common deworming drug cures cancer. Specifically, an unlicensed veterinarian named Andrew Jones has posted videos on YouTube and TikTok in which he claims that the dog deworming medicine cured his terminal lung cancer. The claims were quickly seized upon in South Korea and led to the sale of fenbendazole in pharmacies. To assess the quality of the information, we conducted focus group interviews with 21 lung cancer patients. The interviews were semi-structured and consisted of five questions. The interviewees were asked about the acquisition channel of general cancer information and of the fenbendazole claim, as well as about the veracity of this information. fenbendazole cures cancer