A veterinary drug used to treat parasitic worms in dogs, fenben for humans is gaining traction on social media as an effective cancer treatment. A man from British Columbia has claimed that fenbendazole, also known by the brand name Panacur, cured his small-cell lung cancer after he began taking the medicine. This claim has sparked speculation that the anthelminthic medication could be used as an alternative to chemotherapy to treat other types of cancer.

Scientific research has found that fenbendazole, along with drugs like albendazole and mebendazole, have anti-cancer properties. In particular, fenbendazole has been found to reactivate the p53 gene inside the genome and thereby prevent cell growth. The reactivation of the p53 gene allows the cells to undergo apoptosis and stop cancer cell progression.

Scientists tested fenbendazole on human cancer cells and found that the drug partially altered the microtubule network in the cells, which stopped the cell from growing. It also interfered with the expression of GLUT transporters and inhibited the activity of hexokinase II, which is the key glycolytic enzyme in cancer cells. It also caused mitochondrial translocation of p53, which slowed down the cell cycle.

The scientists then experimented with mice and found that fenbendazole significantly reduced the number of tumors and their sizes, especially in unirradiated tumors. Interestingly, fenbendazole was more effective in reducing tumors than mebendazole and albendazole. This is probably due to the fact that fenbendazole is absorbed more effectively from the gut compared to mebendazole and albendazole. fenben for humans