The anthelmintic drug fenbendazole has been reported to exert antitumor effects and inhibit microtubule-associated tubulin polymerization. It has a long track record of safety in humans and is widely used as an antiparasitic agent for its effective killing of Ascaris, hookworm, and Trichuris infections. However, no clinical studies have been conducted on its anticancer effects. A patient with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) obtained information on the antitumor activity of fenbendazole via social media and self-administered it, resulting in severe liver injury. This is the first case report of an NSCLC patient who self-administered fenbendazole and experienced adverse reactions.
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have been constructively used to disseminate medical information; however, it is easy for nonmedical individuals to spread unproven medical facts. Physicians should enquire patients about the acquisition channels of their cancer information and be careful to filter the reliable sources of their health-related knowledge.
Joe Tippens claimed in a viral Facebook post that fenbendazole, along with other supplements and conventional cancer treatments, cured his liver cancer. Tippens was enrolled in a clinical trial for another cancer treatment at the time he posted his claims, so it’s difficult to attribute his remission solely to fenbendazole. What’s more, fenbendazole has only been shown to slow cancer cells in lab experiments, and there isn’t enough evidence that it would prevent recurrent tumors from developing, either. Several established treatments can cure most types of cancer, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy. fenbendazole for humans cancer