Fenben for humans has become a popular topic following a series of social media posts that claim to have cured cancer with the help of this medication, often called “the Joe Tippens protocol.” This method consists of taking the benzimidazole anthelmintic (kills parasites and worms) fenbendazole to treat certain cancers. While there are many controversies over this method, there are some scientific studies that support the idea that fenbendazole may help to fight certain types of cancers.
Despite the growing popularity of the “fenben for humans” phenomenon, there is still not enough evidence to prove that this medication can actually cure cancer. The majority of research on the topic is anecdotal and only a handful of studies have been conducted in a controlled setting. In addition, fenbendazole is not approved by Health Canada for use in humans with any type of cancer. The claims that fenbendazole is a cure for cancer are therefore unfounded and misleading.
According to research published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, fenbendazole is able to prevent the growth of tumors in human cancer cells by disrupting the cellular microtubule system. This allows cancer cells to lose their shape, leading to apoptosis and cell death. Furthermore, fenbendazole blocks glucose uptake in cancer cells by inhibiting the transporter GLUT 4, which starves the cells of sugar.
The effects of fenbendazole on cancer cell growth have been confirmed in several animal and laboratory studies. In one study, female athymic nude mice xenografted with human A549 lung cancer cells were treated with fenbendazole and compared to control mice. The fenbendazole treatment was found to significantly reduce tumor size and weight. Additionally, the fenbendazole treatment was also found to decrease tumor vascularity, as shown by a reduction in hemoglobin levels in the tumors.
Another study analyzed the effect of fenbendazole on multiple myeloma cell lines in vitro and in vivo. They found that fenbendazole was able to reactivate the p53 gene in myeloma cells, which is a known tumor suppressor. p53 is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the genome and is involved in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation. This is the first time that a drug has been reported to reactivate p53 in multiple myeloma cells.
A third study tested the effects of fenbendazole in human multiple myeloma tumors in BALB/cRw mice. The results of this study were similar to those of the previous experiment in that fenbendazole was found to inhibit the growth of tumors and induced apoptosis. The fenbendazole was compared to the conventional chemotherapy agent melphalan and both drugs were found to be equally effective in slowing the progression of the cancer cells.
While fenbendazole is approved for the treatment of worms and parasites in animals, it has yet to be approved by Health Canada for use in humans with cancer. However, research into this medication is ongoing and there are some indications that it could be an effective cancer treatment in humans based on its ability to reactivate the p53 tumor suppressor.