Fenbendazole is a broad-spectrum, benzimidazole antiparasitic drug that has shown promising antitumor activity in animal models and inhibits microtubule-associated tubulin polymerization. It is widely used in animals to treat parasitic diseases and has a wide therapeutic range and good safety profile. However, reports of fenbendazole curing cancer have been spread through social media, leading to patients self-administering fenbendazole for treatment of their cancers. These patients may be exposed to potentially harmful side effects such as liver injury, particularly when combined with other drugs that have been associated with liver toxicity.
The fenbendazole cancer scandal started in 2020 with claims made by Joe Tippens, a terminal lung cancer patient who claimed that he cured his disease by using an unconventional combination of treatments. This included fenbendazole, curcumin, and CBD. This combination of therapies has become known as the Joe Tippens Protocol.
Tippens claimed that he improved after ingesting the canine medication fenbendazole, which is typically used to treat parasites in dogs (commonly sold under the brand name Pancur). Despite this claim, scientific research has found that fenbendazole does not prevent or cure cancer.
In order to evaluate the efficacy of fenbendazole in cancer, researchers conducted a series of experiments with EMT6 tumor-bearing mice. The mice were randomized to receive either three daily injections of fenbendazole (50 mg/kg/day, i.p.), irradiation of the tumors with 10 Gy, or a combination of both drugs. The growth of the unirradiated tumors was not altered by the fenbendazole treatment, and irradiation significantly increased tumor growth in the fenbendazole plus irradiation group.
The results of these experiments show that fenbendazole does have no effect on the growth of unirradiated tumors and significantly increases the radiation sensitivity of cells in hypoxic conditions, but it is not effective against cancerous tumors in mice. The research team also examined the impact of combining fenbendazole with other compounds that are known to be effective in cancer therapy, including the hypoxia-selective nitroheterocyclic cytotoxins and radiosensitizers and the taxanes and vinca alkaloids.
The results of the study indicate that fenbendazole is not an effective cancer therapy, and this information should be disseminated to patients in the face of false claims that are being spread on the internet. To this end, we interviewed cancer patients who had received fenbendazole information from the internet and subsequently experienced severe liver injury. These interviews helped to reveal the processes by which cancer patients acquire and perceive fenbendazole information, and provide insight into how health authorities can effectively communicate with cancer patients in the context of complementary alternative medicine.