Fenbendazole is a common antiparasitic agent that is used in many different species, including humans, to treat parasitic infections such as pinworms, giardia, roundworms, hookworms, and Taenia solium [1]. It acts by inhibiting the polymerization of tubulin, a component of microtubules, which are essential structural components that give shape to cells. The inhibition of tubulin polymerization is similar to the cytotoxic effects of several established anticancer agents, such as vinca alkaloids (vinblastine, vincristine, and vindesine) and taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel).
Cancer Research UK has reviewed this claim and, in the words of their Specialist cancer information nurse Caroline Geraghty, there is “insufficient evidence that fenbendazole can cure cancer”. She adds that it would not prevent recurrence of a person’s existing cancer either as it does not work in cell or animal models to cause apoptosis, rather it is thought to make cancer cells lie dormant/sleep until they are ready to wake back up.
The author of the original Facebook post has also published an article in the journal Oncotarget describing experiments with EMT6 colon cancer cells and how they are affected by fenbendazole. These studies showed that fenbendazole at high concentrations and for long incubations reduces the viability of these cells by causing both apoptosis and ferroptosis. The effect of fenbendazole on these cells was even more pronounced in the presence of hypoxia, with survival reduced to about 3% of control cultures after 2 h of treatment. These results suggest that fenbendazole can induce an alternative form of cell death in CRC cells, involving both apoptosis and ferroptosis, which could complement the activity of p53-based apoptosis. fenbendazole cancer treatment