A benzimidazole, fenbendazole is used to treat a variety of gastrointestinal parasites including giardiasis, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, the Taenia genus of tapeworms and pinworms. It presents a broad spectrum anthelmintic effect and is usually well tolerated at dosage levels up to 500 mg per day in humans.
A cancer information nurse at Cancer Research UK tells Full Fact that despite the claims made on social media, there is no evidence that fenbendazole can cure cancer or prevent it from returning. She adds that there is a risk of liver enzyme elevation with long-term exposure to this drug.
In a recent study, researchers treated two different types of human cancer cells with fenbendazole and found it interferes with the function of the glucose transporter isoform 4. This protein is usually stimulated by insulin to absorb sugar for energy in cancer cells. However, fenbendazole blocks the transporter’s linear movement along microtubules and significantly reduces insulin-fueled glucose uptake in cancer cells.
Researchers also found that fenbendazole induces apoptosis in cancer cells. This is presumed to be through its ability to disrupt proteasomal interference and its power to alter the microtubule network around cancer cells. The effect was also enhanced in cells with wild-type p53 tumour suppressor genes, while mutant p53 showed less sensitivity to fenbendazole. The results indicate that fenbendazole could potentially be used as a single agent or in combination with other anti-cancer drugs, as it is expected to have multiple cellular targets and therefore limit the likelihood of resistance developing. fenbendazole for humans