Fenbendazole (methyl N-(6-phenylsulfanyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl) carbamate) is an animal anthelmintic with a long track record of safety in humans for use against parasites including Ascaris, hookworm, and Trichuris. It is also an established treatment for some hematological disorders such as acute promyelocytic leukemia.

It is believed to work by inhibiting the growth of microtubules, which provide structure to cells. Cancer cells have different microtubules than normal cells and are thus targeted by fenbendazole.

The drug has been shown to destabilize microtubules and cause cell death in laboratory tests using colorectal cancer cells. The researchers found that fenbendazole can induce apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest in the cancer cells by binding to tubulin and disrupting its polymerization. It also induced ferroptosis in the cells, but they did not find evidence that this was the primary mechanism of cell death.

In addition to its cytotoxicity, fenbendazole also prevented the recurrence of colorectal cancer in mice by targeting cancer stem cells. However, the authors of the study concluded that further studies are needed to understand how fenbendazole works in human patients.

A spokesperson for Cancer Research UK told Full Fact that there isn’t enough evidence that fenbendazole can cure cancer. He said that the claim that it does was made by Joe Tippens, who claimed that he took a combination of fenbendazole and supplements to cure his cancer in 2016. However, Tippens hadn’t undergone any clinical trials or had his case reviewed by a medical professional. fenbendazole for humans cancer