This article explores the potential of the antiparasitic drug mebendazole as a cancer treatment, detailing its dosing, safety profile, and effectiveness.
It also highlights two compelling case reports showcasing the outcomes of cancer patients who used mebendazole.
Mebendazole is part of the benzimidazole family, which includes fenbendazole, albendazole, and many others.
After exploring the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), I discovered numerous studies on benzimidazoles and their potential in cancer treatment.
Inspired by these findings, I created a new category, Benzimidazoles, dedicated to sharing the science behind these compounds with the public.
Introduction
A fascinating interview on The Joe Rogan Experience featuring Mel Gibson sparked my interest in fenbendazole as a potential cancer therapeutic therapeutic. In the interview, Gibson shared how two of his friends with stage four cancer recovered after using ivermectin and fenbendazole.
He further emphasized that all three of his friends who tried these medications are now cancer-free, declaring, “This stuff works, man.”
Around the same week, I found an insightful resource on the FLCCC website titled The Role of Repurposed Drugs and Metabolic Interventions in Treating Cancer. In this, Dr. Paul Marik identified mebendazole, fenbendazole, and albendazole—all benzimidazole derivatives—as Tier One repurposed drugs for cancer therapy.
What Are Tier One Repurposed Drugs?
Tier One drugs have the highest potential for efficacy and safety when repurposed for treating diseases outside their original indications. In the context of cancer, this means these medications:
- Show consistent evidence of anticancer properties in studies.
- Have a well-established safety profile in humans.
- They are accessible and cost-effective compared to traditional cancer therapies.
Mebendazole: From Parasite Killer to Cancer Fighter
Mebendazole (MBZ), a drug long used to treat parasitic infections, has recently gained attention for its potential to fight cancer.
With decades of safe use and a well-documented record of effectiveness, researchers are uncovering how this affordable medication can target cancer cells through multiple mechanisms.
What is Mebendazole Used For?
Mebendazole is commonly prescribed to treat a range of intestinal worm infections, including:
- Pinworms: A single 100 mg dose is effective.
- Roundworms or Hookworms: A 100 mg dose twice daily for three days is typical.
- Echinococcosis (Tapeworm Infections): For severe cases like hydatid disease, long-term high-dose treatments (40–50 mg/kg/day for 3–6 months or longer) are recommended under the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
Why Repurpose Mebendazole for Cancer?
Mebendazole stands out as an excellent candidate for repurposing because:
- It has a long history of safe use as an antiparasitic.
- It works through multiple mechanisms that make it effective against cancer.
- It’s affordable and widely available, making it accessible to patients worldwide.
How Does Mebendazole Work Against Cancer?
-
Disrupting Cell Division (Stops Cancer Growth):
- Mebendazole binds to beta-tubulin, a protein that forms microtubules essential for cell division. By interfering with this process, cancer cells are prevented from multiplying.
- Cancer cells need to divide to grow. Mebendazole stops this process by breaking the tiny “skeletons” inside the cells that help them divide, causing them to die.
-
Inhibiting Angiogenesis (Cuts Off Tumor Blood Supply):
- Mebendazole suppresses angiogenesis, forming new blood vessels, which tumors rely on for nutrients and oxygen.
- Tumors need blood to grow, just like plants need water. Mebendazole prevents tumors from growing their blood supply, starving them.
-
Blocking Drug Resistance (Makes Cancer Cells More Vulnerable):
- Mebendazole inhibits multi-drug resistance protein transporters, which cancer cells use to pump out chemotherapy drugs.
- Cancer cells often develop ways to fight off treatments. Mebendazole disables their “defense shields,” allowing other cancer treatments to work better.
-
Targeting Cancer Stem Cells (Prevents Recurrence):
- Mebendazole is effective against cancer stem cells, which are resistant to most therapies and can cause tumors to regrow.
- Some “super cells” survive and restart cancer growth even after treatment. Mebendazole targets these tough cells to prevent cancer from coming back.
-
Activating the Immune System (Boosts Natural Defenses):
- Mebendazole stimulates an antitumoral immune response, enhancing the body’s ability to attack cancer cells.
- Mebendazole helps your immune system recognize and destroy cancer cells more effectively.
-
Synergizing with Other Cancer Treatments:
- Mebendazole works in harmony with ionizing radiation and various chemotherapeutic agents, enhancing their effectiveness.
- When combined with treatments like radiation or chemotherapy, mebendazole makes these therapies more powerful, increasing their ability to kill cancer cells.
What Studies Show About Mebendazole
Research in laboratory and animal models has shown that mebendazole:
- Direct Cytotoxic Activity: Mebendazole directly kills cancer cells by disrupting their critical processes.
- Stops Tumor Growth: When used alone or with other treatments, it can shrink or completely stop tumor growth.
- Reduces Metastasis: By blocking the spread of cancer cells to other body parts, it helps contain the disease.
- Improves Survival Rates: Animals treated with mebendazole lived longer, especially when combined with chemotherapy or radiation.
Mebendazole Safety and Side Effects
Mebendazole is widely used to treat intestinal worm infections. Its effectiveness, affordability, and long history of safe use have made it a cornerstone in global healthcare.
You need to know about its safety and potential side effects here.
Safety Profile
Mebendazole has been extensively studied in 6,276 patients across 39 clinical trials and has been used globally for decades. It has a strong record of safety when used as directed.
At Standard Doses (Low Doses):
Side effects are rare and usually mild, including:
- Abdominal pain or discomfort
- Flatulence (gas)
- Diarrhea
These side effects are short-lived and resolve without intervention.
At High Doses (Long-Term Treatment):
For conditions requiring long-term or high-dose treatments, side effects can be more pronounced, though still rare:
- Bone Marrow Effects:
- Rare cases of neutropenia (low white blood cell count) and marrow aplasia (reduced bone marrow activity) have been reported.
- These conditions are almost always reversible, with recovery occurring a few days after stopping the drug, particularly in patients with impaired drug metabolism.
- Liver Effects:
- Rare elevations in liver enzymes (transaminases like ALT, AST, SGOT, SGPT) and isolated cases of reversible liver injury due to hypersensitivity.
- Other Rare Effects:
- Alopecia: Temporary hair thinning or loss.
- Allergic Reactions: Skin rashes or hypersensitivity reactions, though very uncommon.
Why is Mebendazole Safe?
- Extensive History: Decades of use and clinical trials confirm its safety for most people.
- Low Toxicity: Standard doses cause minimal side effects, making them suitable for children and adults.
- Reversible Effects: Even rare high-dose side effects typically resolve upon stopping the medication.
When to Be Cautious
While mebendazole is safe for the vast majority of users, some groups should consult their healthcare provider before use:
- Pregnant Women: It is not generally recommended during pregnancy unless specifically advised.
- Individuals with Liver Disease: High-dose regimens may require monitoring.
- Patients with Altered Drug Metabolism: These individuals may experience side effects more frequently.
Dosing for Cancer Therapy
While benzimidazoles are not officially approved for cancer treatment, anecdotal and preclinical data provide dosing guidelines:
- Mebendazole and Albendazole: Dosing varies and should be guided by a healthcare provider, as their bioavailability can be enhanced with fat-rich meals.
- Fenbendazole: Typically administered at 222 mg per day (the content of a single packet of a common veterinary formulation) for several days a week, often in combination with other supportive therapies.
Important Note: Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any off-label medication.
Stories of Hope: Mebendazole in Cancer Treatment
While no formal clinical trials have been conducted on mebendazole (MBZ) as a cancer treatment, two compelling case reports illustrate its potential to improve outcomes for patients facing advanced, treatment-resistant cancers.
These real-world examples highlight the promise of repurposing mebendazole as an anticancer agent.
A 48-Year-Old Man with Metastatic Adrenocortical Cancer
In 2011, a 48-year-old man was battling metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer.
Despite undergoing multiple surgeries, radiation treatments, and systemic therapies—including mitotane, 5-fluorouracil, streptozotocin, and bevacizumab—his cancer continued to progress. His diagnosis included a tumor in his right adrenal gland and metastases to the liver.
Out of options, the patient requested to try mebendazole. His medical team agreed, prescribing 100 mg twice daily.
To everyone’s surprise, the liver metastases initially shrank and then stabilized for an impressive 19 months. The patient reported no significant side effects and even experienced an improved quality of life.
Unfortunately, after 24 months of treatment, the cancer began to progress again, even with the addition of everolimus. Still, the nearly two years of disease stability represented a remarkable improvement compared to his prior prognosis.
A 74-Year-Old Man with Metastatic Colon Cancer
In 2013, a 74-year-old man facing metastatic colon cancer sought alternative options after his cancer had spread to his lungs, abdominal lymph nodes, and liver.
Conventional chemotherapy—two lines of treatment involving capecitabine, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, and bevacizumab—had failed to stop the disease’s progression.
His physicians prescribed mebendazole at 100 mg twice daily. After just six weeks of monotherapy, a CT scan revealed astonishing results:
- Near complete remission of metastases in the lungs and lymph nodes.
- Significant reduction in liver metastases.
Although the patient experienced a temporary elevation in liver enzymes, he had no other side effects.
The treatment was briefly paused and then resumed at a lower dose. Subsequent scans confirmed that the disease remained stable, offering a glimpse of hope in an otherwise bleak scenario.
Key Takeaways from These Cases
- Stability and Regression of Tumors:
- In both cases, mebendazole helped achieve tumor stability and partial regression where conventional treatments had failed.
- Well-Tolerated Treatment:
- Both patients tolerated mebendazole well, with only minor and reversible side effects, such as transient liver enzyme elevations.
- Improved Quality of Life:
- For patients with advanced cancers, stabilizing the disease and reducing symptoms significantly enhanced their quality of life.
These stories demonstrate the potential of mebendazole as an anticancer therapy, especially for patients with limited treatment options. While more clinical trials are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety on a larger scale, these cases offer a glimpse into the possibilities of repurposing this safe, affordable drug to tackle some of the most challenging cancers.
Looking Ahead
While mebendazole shows great promise, more studies are needed to confirm how well it works for cancer patients and to determine the best way to use it alongside other treatments.
This introduction is part of a series exploring how drugs like mebendazole, created for other purposes, are being repurposed to fight cancer. Understanding their potential opens new doors to affordable and effective cancer treatments.
The Challenges and Possibilities of Using Mebendazole for Cancer
While mebendazole (MBZ) has shown promise as a potential anticancer drug, there are important limitations and considerations that need to be addressed before its widespread adoption in oncology.
Here, we explore the challenges and recommendations for its use, as highlighted by Guerini et al.[1]
What Are the Challenges?
-
Targeting Cancer Stem Cells:
- The Problem: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a special type of cancer cell that can resist treatments and cause cancer to come back. However, the markers (like CD133 or CD44) used to identify CSCs are not unique to them and can also appear in normal cells.
- What This Means: While MBZ targets these cancer stem cells, it could also affect healthy cells with similar traits.
-
Safety at High Doses:
- The Concern: When used at high doses, MBZ has been shown in animal studies to cause DNA damage and developmental problems, such as skeletal and eye abnormalities. This makes it unsafe for use during pregnancy.
- Long-Term Use: While MBZ is generally safe at standard doses, its safety for long-term cancer treatment—especially when combined with other drugs—needs more research.
-
Absorption Issues:
- The Problem: MBZ is not easily absorbed by the body, meaning some patients may need higher doses to get enough of the drug to work on their tumors. This could increase the risk of side effects.
-
Funding for Research:
- The Challenge: Since MBZ is a low-cost drug, pharmaceutical companies may not be interested in funding expensive research or clinical trials, leaving the burden to universities and non-profit organizations.
What Are the Recommendations?
-
Start with Low Doses:
- Why It’s Better: MBZ has been shown to work well at low doses when combined with treatments like chemotherapy or radiation. Starting small helps minimize side effects while still targeting cancer cells.
-
Use MBZ Early in Treatment:
- Why It Matters: MBZ might work best in the early stages of cancer, before cancer stem cells can multiply and become resistant to treatments.
-
Combine with Other Cancer Treatments:
- Stronger Together: MBZ can make chemotherapy and radiation more effective. By combining treatments, doctors can use lower MBZ doses to attack cancer from multiple angles.
-
Keep Research Going:
- The Need for Trials: More clinical studies are needed to confirm how MBZ works against cancer, how safe it is for long-term use, and what the best doses are.
- Who Should Help: Universities and non-profit groups are stepping up to support this research, like the ReDO (Repurposing Drugs in Oncology) project, which is working to explore MBZ and other low-cost drugs for cancer treatment.
Why Does Mebendazole Hold Promise?
Even with these challenges, MBZ is still a strong candidate for cancer treatment because:
- It can attack cancer in multiple ways, including targeting cancer stem cells and boosting the effects of other treatments.
- It’s affordable and widely available, making it a practical option for patients worldwide.
The Bottom Line
Mebendazole offers hope as a low-cost, effective treatment for cancer, but there’s still more work to be done.
Starting at low doses and combining it with other therapies could help unlock its full potential while keeping patients safe.
With continued research and support, MBZ could become a valuable tool in the fight against cancer.
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Reference:
- Guerini AE, Triggiani L, Maddalo M, Bonù ML, Frassine F, Baiguini A, Alghisi A, Tomasini D, Borghetti P, Pasinetti N, Bresciani R, Magrini SM, Buglione M. Mebendazole as a Candidate for Drug Repurposing in Oncology: An Extensive Review of Current Literature. Cancers (Basel). 2019 Aug 31;11(9):1284. doi: 10.3390/cancers11091284. PMID: 31480477; PMCID: PMC6769799.
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