False Information About Fenbendazole Cancer Treatment
Fenbendazole is a commonly used antiparasitic drug that targets parasites that cause gastrointestinal disorders such as pinworms, giardiasis, pulmonary paragonimiasis and Taenia solium. It acts by binding to and inhibiting the polymerization of tubulin, which makes up microtubules in cells. These microtubules are the structural framework that supports cells and provide them with shape and size. The drug is also reported to have cytotoxic properties in various experimental cancer models.
Specialist cancer information nurse Caroline Geraghty, from Cancer Research UK, told Full Fact there is no evidence fenbendazole can cure cancer, and it hasn’t gone through any clinical trials to find out whether it would be safe or effective for people. There are already established treatments for most cancers, including chemotherapy and immunotherapies such as PD-1 inhibitors.
The case study reported in this article was a female patient with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who self-administered fenbendazole, an anthelmintic drug marketed as an anthelmintic for dogs, to treat her metastatic lung cancer. She began taking the drug in early July 2019 based on social media information that it was an effective treatment for cancer. However, she experienced severe liver injury during her fenbendazole treatment and was admitted to the hospital.
To explore how the false information about fenbendazole was spread, we interviewed 21 lung cancer patients using a semi-structured questionnaire that focused on three areas: 1) where they obtained general and fenbendazole information daily; 2) the quality of that information; and 3) their perception and attitude toward the information. Patients were divided into three groups based on their current stage of lung cancer. fenbendazole cancer treatment