A Case Report of Fenbendazole Cancer

A case report of a patient with advanced NSCLC who self-administered fenbendazole, a common benzimidazole anthelmintic drug that is undergoing cancer repositioning, shows that this commonly used medication can induce tumor regression. Although high-quality, placebo-controlled trials are needed, fenbendazole could potentially be used as a supplemental anticancer treatment alongside more conventional methods like chemotherapy and radiation.

Focus group interviews were conducted with lung cancer patients who had heard about fenbendazole. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and patients were grouped based on their age and stage of cancer diagnosis. The interviews were guided by a moderator who was not involved in the participants’ medical treatment. Participants were asked where they got their fenbendazole information, how they interpreted it, and how they perceived the potential of this alternative therapy to treat cancer.

Patients reported that fenbendazole acts in several ways to kill cancer cells: 1. Triggering apoptosis (programmed cell death). It blocks cell division by binding beta-tubulin and disrupting microtubules. 2. Restricting cancer cell glucose uptake. This is accomplished by blocking glucose transporters and hexokinase 2, starving the cancer of its primary energy source. 3. Reactivating the p53 gene, a powerful tumor suppressor.

Finally, fenbendazole appears to prevent chemoresistance by inhibiting P-glycoproteins, special pumps that eject anticancer drugs before they can exert their effects. Because malignant cells do not recognize fenbendazole as a compound to eject via these pumps, it stays inside the cell and can exert its cytotoxic effect long-term. fenbendazole cancer