Fenben lab fenbendazole is a broad-spectrum benzimidazole anthelmintic used in many animal species with a high margin of safety. It is widely employed as a parasite treatment in veterinary medicine, and repurposing it for antitumor activity is an exciting prospect.
In this case report, a female dog with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer presented to our clinic for evaluation of liver injury associated with elevated CEA levels and her chemotherapeutic regimen, including pembrolizumab (Pembro; Merck). Upon discussion with her family, we learned that she had been self-administering oral fenbendazole (FEN) purchased from the internet, marketed as an anthelmintic for dogs, since early July 2019. She was taking oral FEN after obtaining information on its purported antitumor effect from social media sites.
Fenbendazole is a moderate microtubule depolymerizer with antitumor effects characterized in vitro and in vivo (animal models). It causes apoptosis by regulating several cellular pathways, including the mitotic checkpoint. Our data suggest that the combination of FEN with rapamycin (RAPA) enhances the antitumor effects of both drugs and could be an effective immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.fenben lab fenbendazol