The popular dewormer fenben for humans, which is available without prescription in many countries and is known to be effective against parasites, has also been shown to kill cancer cells in laboratory tests. The discovery is the latest in a series of discoveries suggesting that common over-the-counter drugs may have potent anti-cancer effects when used in combination with each other. This “repurposing” of drugs, which was pioneered by scientists at MIT and Harvard, is a growing trend in cancer treatment that could lead to new and less expensive treatments for patients.
The research, published in Scientific Reports, was led by Dr Tapas Mukhopadhyay and was funded by the National Center for Biological Sciences (NCBS). Mukhopadhyay’s earlier work showed that fenbendazole, or FZ, disrupted microtubules and stabilized the tumour suppressor gene p53, leading to preferential elimination of cancer cells.
Researchers tested FZ on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, which are highly resistant to chemotherapy. They found that FZ reduced the growth of these cells by inhibiting glucose uptake, and inducing apoptosis through both the mitochondrial and ER pathways.
To confirm these results, they tested the effect of fenbendazole on tumours in mice. They found that fenbendazole reduced the size of NSCLC tumours in mice by reducing the number of cancer cells, and also preventing them from spreading to other organs. The effect of fenbendazole was also enhanced when it was combined with other drugs that target the microtubules, such as taxol and 2 deoxyglucose (2DG) inhibitor, or with dichloroacetate (DCA), which targets glycolysis by blocking the hexokinase enzyme, a key component in cancer cell metabolism.
In addition to its direct anti-cancer activity, the study suggests that FZ is able to enhance the effectiveness of other cancer drugs by increasing their binding affinity for target proteins. This could improve the efficacy of conventional therapies, which often exhibit limited or variable success rates, and also avoid the development of drug resistance.
However, the claim that fenben can cure cancer has not been verified in clinical trials, and it is important to note that Tippens did not have the cancer he claims to be suffering from treated with fenben. The nonprofit organization Cancer Research UK told Full Fact that there is insufficient evidence to prove that fenben can cure cancer, and it should only be used under the guidance of a doctor. Tippens also claimed that his cancer was caused by parasites, a claim that Health Feedback has previously debunked.
