Fenben (also known as panacur) is an anthelmintic medication that was originally used for animals like mammals, fish, and birds to treat parasitic illnesses and worms such as roundworm, tapeworm, hookworm, whipworm, etc. Since it’s primarily an anthelmintic drug, it is relatively inexpensive to produce and has long been a popular anti-parasite treatment in many countries where it is available without prescription.
In the lab, fenben was found to significantly reduce tumor growth by interfering with microtubules in human cancer cells. It also has significant anti-inflammatory activity and can prevent the formation of new blood vessels in tumors by blocking glycolysis in cancer cells, causing them to die.
The researchers tested fenben’s ability to reduce cancer in vivo by giving it to athymic nu/nu mice with A549 human xenografts orally. They found that fenbendazole (FZ) significantly inhibited tumor growth and decreased tumor vascularity, as evidenced by spectrophotometrically measuring hemoglobin content in the tumors.
Unlike many other drugs that target one specific pathway of the cancer cell, fenbendazole targets multiple pathways simultaneously and thus is able to eliminate the cell much more effectively. This multi-targeted action is expected to reduce the likelihood of resistance.
As with any medication, it’s important to discuss the use of fenben for humans with your healthcare provider. While anthelmintic medications have been shown to prevent cancer in some cases, there is not enough scientific evidence that they are a cure for the disease. However, this is a promising avenue of research and more studies will be necessary to determine if fenben for humans is effective as a cancer treatment. fenben for humans