Fill Out Your Profile to share more about you. Learn more...

Ringworm drug for dogs (Fenbendazole) might also cure cancer

This sounds kind of crazy but I'm tempted to try it, especially if standard treatments stop working:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6965325/Oklahoma-grandfather-claims-drug-DOGS-cured-cancer-tumor-free.html


Mods adding this link to a podcast from BCO: Podcast: What My Patients Are Asking: Can Dog Deworming Medicine Treat Breast Cancer?

«134567119

Comments

  • chicagoan
    chicagoan Member Posts: 957

    If you are interested in reading more about this, here's a link to Joe Tippen's blog which explains more about his story and the doses that he took. He's still staying on it for maintenance. https://www.mycancerstory.rocks/single-post/2016/08/22/Shake-up-your-life-how-to-change-your-own-perspective

  • JFL
    JFL Member Posts: 1,373

    Chicagoan, you should check out the Abemaciclib thread. Luce on that thread has mentioned this potential treatment (and may even be dabbling in it now). I am not on Abemaciclib but do follow the thread as there are some off-topic conversations about new potential treatments, research and alternative treatments.

  • santabarbarian
    santabarbarian Member Posts: 2,310

    mebendazole is another de wormer-- for people-- with anti-cancer properties...

  • chicagoan
    chicagoan Member Posts: 957

    JFL-Thanks, I will check out the Abemaciclib thread.

  • Frisky
    Frisky Member Posts: 1,686

    Thank you Chicagoan for sharing this uplifting story. It sure sounds amazing.


  • cure-ious
    cure-ious Member Posts: 2,715

    Interestingly, mebendazole was found to be a strong TNIK kinase inhibitor and a potent inhibitor of the Wnt signaling pathway. Wnt signaling is normally only transiently active early during development, but is often reactivated to drive growth of very aggressive or late-stage cancers. Now available only by prescription.

    https://www.nature.com/articles/srep33534

    Like taxanes, it also blocks microtubule polarization. Fenbendazole is a closely related compound used for dogs.

    Recent studies indicates it can function as a KRAS inhibitor. Remarkable activity given how few side effects these drugs seem to have, at least when taken in the short run:

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30862488


  • Frisky
    Frisky Member Posts: 1,686

    cure-ious do you believe the protocol described is legitimate? That's not a scam?

    It seems too good to be true, but so tempting....

    I find it interesting that its very specific, down to the legitimacy of the well respected brand of supplements, except for the CBD oil.

    I contacted the source and it's private which could lead to a potential money making scam....

    What do you all think? Do you know of anyone that has succeeded on this protocol?

  • Leee
    Leee Member Posts: 115

    OMRF (Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation) posted the news link and this comment:

    “Can a dog medicine cure cancer? Cancer researchers are skeptical, but they also are not dismissing this anti-parasitic's potential. #OMRF #Cancer #ResearchMatters #KOCO“

  • cure-ious
    cure-ious Member Posts: 2,715

    Miao,

    The science is all over the place, but to me it seems very clear that these compounds should be regulated as bonafide drugs, they do have very potent anti-cancer activity on cultured cancer cells. I was just reading a paper where fenbendazole and mebendazole came up (along with all the chemo drugs we are very familiar with) in blind screens for compounds that can kill aggressive cancers in the lab. There are reports that these drugs inhibit glucose uptake and synergize with metformin, statins, COX-2 inhibitors, but the science right now is all over the map as to what these drugs are doing. Structurally, it looks like they ought to be kinase inhibitors. I am checking to see if they have been tested for effects on the immune system- for the patient discussed by Chicagoan above, he took the drug while he was on a clinical trial for late-stage lung cancer, and he was their best responder, so he presumes that the drug helped but it should be noted he wasn't taking it alone. He won't say what the trial was, but most likely it included immunotherapy, since it was his hail Mary clinical trial


    So, remarkable is this is a oral pill with little in the way of daunting side effects, yet has chemo-like anti-cancer activity and is generic and off-patent. We need to know exactly what this is doing and what is the best combination to use it, whether with another drug or immunotherapy, etc. But cool to know there is another useful drug for metastatic cancers!


    PS My darling Cocker-Schitzu dog had an aggressive anal gland cancer, had surgery and radiation and is pushing the year-and-a half timeperiod that the vets figure she'd have before the cancer comes back. So I'm definitely going to go out and pick up some fenbendazole for her!!

  • Frisky
    Frisky Member Posts: 1,686

    cure-ious....my understanding is that he didn’t get that knowledge or results from a clinical trial. The protocol is something, someone he knew recommended and he tried it because he had nothing to lose...

    Based on your understanding, then, the CBD oil ( the most expensive and private part of the protocol) might not be essential because the drug is the real agent...what does the CBD oil does? Isn’t it a just pain reliever?

    Im way behind on the marijuana craze...

  • cure-ious
    cure-ious Member Posts: 2,715

    Hey Miao,

    If you read the Daily Mail article that Chicagoan posted at the top of this thread, you'll see that he took this drug (as a supplement) while he was on a clinical trial. Initially he didn't tell his doctor he was doing it, then eventually fessed up, after it was clear he was having an exceptional response and they decided to investigate why he responded so well. Because he had late-stage lung cancer, we can assume that his trial included at least one immunotherapy drug, maybe even an immuno combo.

    It's as if doxil or navelbine had not yet been recognized to have anti-cancer properties, and you realized that you could take them on your own without a prescription, or having to worry about any serious side effects. But would you really want to use it that way? Luce says mebendazole is offered in a clinical trial at UCSD in combination with immunotherapy- suppose they find out that their protocol works great? if you take it now, you might not be eligible to get into a trial combining it with immunotherapy These compounds look like potentially powerful drugs, I wouldn't really be comfortable munching them like a supplement. I was surprised to find that some of the CDK9-type inhibitors can also be found off-prescription in the nutritional supplement stores, apparently bodybuilders have been using them for quite awhile.

    UCSD is smart to offer mebendazole in a trial, because its off-patent and virtually none of their late-stage patients would have been exposed to the drug before. Plus, there are few side effects so it can be combined with immunotherapy, and what is known about the mechanism of action suggests the combo might work for a variety of cancers.

    OTOH, this guy took them as a supplement, during his trial, and he lucked out. People do this kind of thing all the time. I doubt vitamins or CBD oil have any magical role in the combination, but who knows? If they work great, hopefully we'll hear about the trial from the UCSD folks sometime soon..

  • cure-ious
    cure-ious Member Posts: 2,715

    Having said all of that, now I don't see any clinical trial at UCSD that involves mebendazole, with or without immunotherapy.

    Here is another example of someone who successfully played the odds with supplements:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/wellbeing/he...


  • Frisky
    Frisky Member Posts: 1,686

    thanks Cure-ious I find your explanations extremely valuable....although, I must confess, I don't fully understand all the scientific correlations like you do, but I get the jest. You must be a professional in the field of medicine.

    For most of my adult life—till I was diagnosed—I was taking only nature-thyroid, an ancient thyroid medication that most pharmacists have never heard of, eating macrobiotic and organic foods, seeing functional private doctors, and taking all sorts of supplements. Growing up in Italy I was an athlete and a semi-professional soccer player, and yet sometime next week I'll be taking Doxil and today got very excited about dog's parasite medications....life is strange.....as you can see,...I've come a long way....who knew it would end up this way? But that's the story for all of us....I’m sure each and every one of us is shocked and surprised to be this sick....

  • cure-ious
    cure-ious Member Posts: 2,715

    excellent video here:



  • cure-ious
    cure-ious Member Posts: 2,715

    This has been an interesting thread to read up on- there is an organization in the UK called Cancer Oncology Center that is treating patients with a combination of four drugs: metformin, statin, mebendazole, and the antibiotic, doxycycline. Apparently they cannot advertise but some of the patients who signed up have done well. No clinical trials, but they want to offer a supplement benefit using drugs like these that do not have a standard role in cancer therapy. And at least they know the standard dose to take. Keep in mind, these patients take this treatment as a supplement, in addition to the standard oncology treatments, not as a standalone treatment.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/cr...

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3115964...


  • Frisky
    Frisky Member Posts: 1,686

    Cure-ious....it's so funny because I'm already taking metformin, will be on Doxil soon, and amazon is shipping the canine anti parasitic medication and the supplements as we speak..

    I figured: What do I have to lose? Will wait after the first infusion to start...

    Contrary to the clinical trials available to me, and based on these anecdotal evidence, I really believe these combinations of things might get to the root cause and not just the symptoms....

    I won't use the cbd oil because it's very expensive, I'm not in a lot of pain, and I'm not sure it plays an essential role...

    I watched the video you posted, and continued to The Ted talks on the subject....one thing is certain: cancer cells are very smart, are capable of mutating and finding all sorts of pathway to the nutrients they need to survive....they are amazing resourcefulcreatures...sort of parasitic miniature Aliens that take over our bodies, in a slightly less dramatic fashion than in my favorite Hollywood movie....

  • cure-ious
    cure-ious Member Posts: 2,715

    How about the statin?! I'm a believer in that, it blocks a powerful oncogene called Yap1, could help a lot.

    Good idea to wait and see how you respond to the Doxil alone first!

  • SchnauzerMom
    SchnauzerMom Member Posts: 75

    I ordered the fenbendazole today also. I agree--it won't hurt, and it sounds promising. I started with Claritin several weeks ago largely because of the discussion on the Abemaciclib thread--thank you, Luce. (My only add-ons, and I am feeling pretty current for a little old lady!!)



  • Frisky
    Frisky Member Posts: 1,686

    I guess i have to visit my wonderful primary physician and explain the situation....she's very sympathetic and has prescribed based on published medical research that I showed her a medication that was not FDA approved for that use, but that other well known doctors were using anyway.

    Do statins have side effects I should be aware of?

    Schnauzermom please keep us updated...We will need to share the results of our efforts to see if it's effective. What treatment are you undergoing currently?.

  • Frisky
    Frisky Member Posts: 1,686

    cure-ious, is it true that Doxil is particularly hard on the bone marrow?

    Considering that my metastasis are primarily in the bones, with a new small lesion in the liver, would doxil be a wise choice for me? Now that I have renewed hopes with the parasitic protocol, I would want to protect myself from the permanent damage of chemotherapy

    What would you chose?

    Thank you so much for your support, knowledge, and wisdom....

  • SchnauzerMom
    SchnauzerMom Member Posts: 75

    Miaomix,

    I agree that we need to keep each other updated on our Fenbendazole experiences. My med should arrive today, so plan to start tomorrow. (I'm kind of excited, really. Not wagging my tail yet, though.) I'm taking 200mg of Verzenio since last July. Hope the meds play well together.



  • cure-ious
    cure-ious Member Posts: 2,715

    Miao, Definitely discuss whether statins are worthwhile with your primary!

    Did you have any sequencing, for example for PI3K mutation or ESR1 mutation?


  • Frisky
    Frisky Member Posts: 1,686

    I reread Joe’s blog this morning, and it seems that this protocol works on different cancers, which means that it works with different cancer treatments.

    I’m also veryhopeful and optimistic....happy to try and see what happens...

  • Frisky
    Frisky Member Posts: 1,686

    Cure-ious, I know I had the ESR1 mutations and the AKT....I'm getting a liver biopsy on wed that will be genetically analyzed by MSK. When I asked my mo told me their analysis is better than Foundation 1....

    I fear, I might end up getting Doxil before all the results are analyzed, since in reality the choices of chemotherapy are limited anyway. And the new ones have not been approved.

    But, I would not want to start with Doxil if it suppresses or messes up bone marrow etc etc because my metastasis are primarily in the bones....the one in the liver is a novelty...

  • chicagoan
    chicagoan Member Posts: 957

    Miao and Schnauzer,

    Please keep us posted on how it goes. I'm not starting it yet-I've been stable on Ibrance, my first line treatment so I think I'll wait until I need to make a change. I am wondering if it will be effective on cancers that are fed primarily by hormones. I guess we'll find out. I appreciate all the discussion and insights from Cureious. It would be so great if this would work!

  • Frisky
    Frisky Member Posts: 1,686

    yes Chicagoan....thank you for starting this tread....I was very saddened by the idea of starting IV chemotherapy—what I consider the beginning of the end—now instead i have something to look forward to. I have hope, although I still have to let myself be poisoned.

    People that dismiss this information remind me of that scene in Jaws, where all the fishermen in small boats ignore the advice that the character played by Richard Dreyfus, gives them when he arrivesat the scene.

    Because of the safety of the protocol described, I feel I have nothing to lose and a wholesome life to gain. I take numerous supplements anyway, the only medication I'm adding is the de-wormer.


  • chico
    chico Member Posts: 185

    I would like to second what Chicagoan says about hoping Miao & Schnauzer will keep us posted - good luck ladies. Also in thanking Cure-ious for sharing her research with us all.

    I live in the U.K. and have considered contacting COC (Care Oncology Clinic) but again like Chicagoan I have been stable, with extensive bone mets, on I/L plus Xgeva since 2016, and would rather wait for things to change before adding more into the mix. I do have a friend on the protocol who is doing well however she did have problems with the very high dose of statins that she was prescribed.

    My Onc suggested that taking a statin may be useful even though I don’t have particularly high cholesterol and this I have done. He also said it would be ok to add a low dose aspirin which so far I haven’t done.

    Because I have a very high carb and sugar diet I may consider adding metformin sometime soon however my glucose levels are quite low. I will wait to ask my Onc after my next scan in July. I will then also ask if he thinks starting the worming tablet would be useful.



  • santabarbarian
    santabarbarian Member Posts: 2,310

    I have zero diabetes issues and a good diet but am on Metformin after asking my MO about the benefits. i started on it around my first chemo. Despite no sleep issues, I take Melatonin 20mg every night (if you are not used to it, ramp up slowly to that dosage) for anti-cancer properties too.


  • mike3121
    mike3121 Member Posts: 280

    Do I order fenbendazole or mebendazole (MBZ) for my wife; she's interested.

    My wife had a brief dance with NED and, because of a few mets of progression ( 2 in hips and 1 at T7), she dancing with Mr Eribulin again.