Does Dog Deworming Drug Fenbendazole Cure Cancer?

The claim that dog deworming drug fenbendazole cures cancer has gained traction in social media, particularly on TikTok and Facebook. The claims are based on the anecdotal story of Joe Tippens, who claimed to be healed of a rare lung cancer by taking fenbendazole at the recommendation of his veterinarian. The nonprofit organization Cancer Research UK told Full Fact that there is insufficient evidence to prove Tippens’ story, and that fenbendazole must undergo clinical trials in people before it can be proven effective as a cancer treatment.

Fenbendazole is an FDA-approved medication that treats parasitic infections in dogs, cats, rabbits, and goats, including pinworms, giardia, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, taenia solium, and pulmonary paragonimiasis. It acts by inhibiting the activity of mitosis, which causes cell division. It has also been shown to have anti-tumor activity in animal studies.

The researchers in this study tested fenbendazole’s effect on human non-small cell lung cancer cells (type of tumor) and found that it reduced the number of cells in culture. It did this by binding to the microtubules of the cells and preventing them from functioning normally. The drug also had cytostatic effects, which reduce tumor growth.

The researchers then tested fenbendazole on mice that had been implanted with human non-small cell lung cancer cells, and found that it reduced tumor size in the animals. They also found that fenbendazole decreased tumor weight, and was associated with a decrease in the ratio of the tumor’s cellular mass to its volume. The drug had a similar effect in mice that were treated with a placebo.  fenbendazole cures cancer