Fenbendazole for Breast Cancer: Emerging Research

Breast cancer is still one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the world, and the sheer number of cases shows just how many women are impacted by it. Though breast cancer’s average prognosis is improving thanks to the advent of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, other alternative or repurposed medicines may supplement this situation.

Fenbendazole is a veterinary drug design to kill worms in animals, and in recent years, this repurposed medicine came into the limelight with a host of recovery testimonies and accredited lab-studies with anticancer activity.

Currently, Fenbendazole is still not FDA-approved for breast cancer treatment, but the research and the interest shown by patients remains high.

Understanding Breast Cancer: Basics to Know

Cancer cells can bypass and even redefine the life cycle of a cell by continuing to grow and ultimately, form a mass known as a tumor. Some cancers are able to remain contains while others continue to progress and move throughout the body, breaching the lymphatic and vascular systems to effect distant tissues. Treatment methods become more diverse and improve with the stage and type of cancer.

Breast Cancer Survival Rates

Breast cancer survival rates, as reported by the American Cancer Society, break down as follows:

• Localized breast cancer has a survival rate of approximately 99% at 5 years.
• Breast cancer that is regional has a survival rate of about 87%.
• Breast cancer that has metastasized distantly has a survival rate of about 32%.

These outcomes have improved over the years due to:

• Diagnostic advancements
• Improving screening options
• Better therapeutic options
• Greater customization of treatment plans

Traditional treatment options may include:

• Surgical interventions
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation
• Hormonal treatments
• Targeted treatment
• Immunotherapy

Although treatment options have improved, many patients remain on the lookout for supportive treatment options, particularly for breast cancer that is aggressive and/or metastatic.

The Promise of Repurposed Medicines in Cancer Treatment

Creating a new cancer treatment option from the ground up is a lengthy and expensive process, which has result in many researchers focusing on drug repurposing, the use of already-existing medications for an alternate medical use.

The safety of previously created medications is know, allowing a more rapid and potentially cost-effective research process.

Interestingly, some of the earliest chemotherapy drugs originated from something entirely different that was repurposed for a separate reason. Especially for cancer treatment, that idea continues to excite researchers.

A study on over 57,000 women spanning more than eight years showed that women taking low-dose aspirin (81 mg at least three times weekly) reported incidences of breast cancer less frequently than those who did not take low-dose aspirin. This lends evidence to justify the use of other non-cancer medications for cancer prevention.

Fenbendazole is now one of the medications included in this area of research.

Fenbendazole: From Veterinary Medicine to Cancer Research

Fenbendazole is Panacur C® and Safe-Guard® and is a veterinary medicine treating parasites in livestock that began use in 1974.

Veterinarians use the medicine to treat:

• Roundworms
• Hookworms
• Tapeworms
• Lungworms
• Whipworms

In 2009, Fenbendazole began research in cancer treatment at Johns Hopkins University. When scientists treat mice with glioblastoma, those in the treatment group failed to grow tumors.

This encouraged interest in the effects of Fenbendazole on cancer cells.

How Fenbendazole May Work Against Cancer Cells

Fenbendazole is a microtubule inhibitor.

Cancer cells and healthy cells utilize microtubules to grow and divide.

Fenbendazole is thought to work by:

• Disruption of microtubule formations
• Inhibition of cell division
• Blocking glucose uptake in cancer cells
• Interference of multiple cancer cellular pathways
• Increasing cellular stress in cancer cells

Cell may die as the microtubules and cancer cells lose the ability to divide and survive.

The most promising finding from early research is the effect Fenbendazole may have on cancer cells greater than on healthy cells.

Promising Effects of Fenbendazole on Breast Cancer

Other drugs in this research have shown that Fenbendazole may have effects on breast cancer.

Fenbendazole was test during a major study on the following:

• Healthy breast cells (MCF-10A)
• Less aggressive breast cancer cells (MCF-7)
• Highly aggressive breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231)

Fenbendazole increased the following after 48 hours:

• Increased stress and damage in aggressive cancer cells
• Greater effects on MDA-MB-231 aggressive cancer cells
• Lower stress levels in healthy breast cells

This indicates Fenbendazole targets aggressive breast cancer cells, sparing healthy cells.

Researchers hypothesize that based on the findings from the study, the selective treatment may minimize side effects and may eventually translate to human use.

However, the selective treatment effects are only base on studies using in vitro and in vivo models.

Patient Stories and Growing Interest

Fenbendazole has receive a lot of internet attention as a result of the anecdotal cancer patient stories that were shared on both social media and cancer forums.

There are patients who report positive changes to their condition while taking Fenbendazole in conjunction with traditional cancer treatments. Others reported increased energy levels and that their scan results relatively remained the same.

It is important to note the following:

• It do not serve as scientific evidence.
• this stories are highly individualized
• There are no clinical trials

Currently, no evidence supports the claim that Fenbendazole is a cure for breast cancer in humans.

Despite these limitations, these stories are responsible for the renewed interest in the research.

Is Fenbendazole Approved for Human Cancer Treatment?

At this time, Fenbendazole is not approve to treat breast cancer or any other cancer in humans.

The FDA has approve other similar antifungal and antiparasitic medications for humans, however Fenbendazole is a known veterinary medication.

Researchers are studying the safety, dosage, and potential side effects of Fenbendazole when it is used in conjunction with traditional cancer therapies.

Due to the lack of human research, treating yourself without the supervision of a qualified health professional is potentially dangerous.

Negative Effects and Risks

Fenbendazole is generally quite well tolerated in animals, and there do not seem to be many side effects based on some of the off-label human reports. However, there are some potential concerns, which include:

• Nausea(s)
• Digestive Tract Disturbance
• Stress on the Liver
• Digestive Problems
• Drug Interactions

It is crucial that patients on chemotherapy and other cancer medications never mix therapies without consulting health professionals.

Conclusion

In recent years, fenbendazole has become one of the most novel and controversial repositioned drugs in the field of cancer research. In some early-stage lab studies, fenbendazole was shown to inhibit the growth of some aggressive types of breast cancer and was shown to spare some healthy tissue.

As an experimental breast cancer treatment option, there are no clinical studies which confirm its safety (i.e. absence of side effects) and efficacy in humans, and its early-stage data is quite positive.

Because of the active ongoing research in cancer therapy, and the growing number of case studies, fenbendazole has become a hot topic in novel cancer research.

Any person considering fenbendazole for the treatment of breast cancer should first speak to a qualified doctor to evaluate the risks and possible benefits of the drug.