Fenbendazole (methyl N-(6-phenylsulfanyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl) carbamate) is a benzimidazole compound that is widely used as an antiparasitic agent in humans and animals against parasites including pinworms, giardia, roundworms, hookworms, Taenia solium and pulmonary paragonimiasis [1]. Recent studies have shown fenbendazole can inhibit cancer cell growth in cells grown in the laboratory and in mice. Like other benzimidazole compounds, fenbendazole is thought to act by binding to the b-tubulin microtubule subunits and disrupting their polymerization, which is similar to how cytotoxic anticancer drugs that target microtubules, such as the vinca alkaloids (vinblastine, vincristine and vindesine) and taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel), inhibit tumor growth in animals.
The nonprofit organization Cancer Research UK told Full Fact that there’s insufficient evidence that fenbendazole cures cancer, and that the drug hasn’t gone through any clinical trials to find out if it’s safe or effective for people. A specialist cancer information nurse at the charity told Full Fact that while drug studies in cells and animal models can sometimes look promising, we don’t know if something will work for human patients until it is tested in a randomized clinical trial.
In one experiment, fenbendazole was given in three daily injections to mice with EMT6 tumors, which were then irradiated. After the tumors reached a volume of 1000 mm3, mice were euthanized and necropsied. There was no difference in the number of lung metastases between untreated and fenbendazole-treated mice, either for unirradiated or irradiated tumors. This result is consistent with the findings of other experiments using fenbendazole to treat mice with EMT6 and other tumors. fenbendazole for humans cancer