Fenben is a medication used to treat parasites and worms (roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, some tapeworms) in animals. It’s also an active ingredient in a popular cancer treatment method called the Joe Tippens Protocol. The claim is that fenben kills cancer cells and prevents them from growing while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
There are no peer-reviewed studies showing that fenben or its cousins (mebendazole, nitroimidazoles and metronidazole) cure cancer. These medications are typically referred to as antiparasitic drugs or anthelmintics and they’re usually prescribed in animal health to control parasites that cause diseases like colic, diarrhea and scabies.
A few reports of people using fenben as a cancer treatment appear online but most have not undergone any clinical trials. As a result, the information can be misleading.
An article on the website Full Fact explains that fenben has not been tested in humans and is not approved by Health Canada as an anticancer drug. The article notes that the drug does not interfere with radiation or chemotherapies and in some cases actually potentiates them making them more effective.
In vitro tests showed that fenbendazole significantly reduced the viability of cancer cells by altering microtubule dynamics, p53 activation and modulating multiple genes involved in cell growth. It also reduced glucose uptake by down regulation of GLUT transporters and key glycolytic enzymes. In addition, cyclin B1 levels were down regulated by fenbendazole which is thought to be linked with mitotic exit and apoptosis. fenben cancer treatment
