Drug repositioning from bench to bedside: Tumour remission by the antihelmintic drug mebendazole in refractory metastatic colon cancer

Recent anecdotal evidence from two case reports supports the possibility of mebendazole being repurposed as an anticancer drug by documenting its success in managing metastatic patients.

“Recent anecdotal evidence from two case reports has further supported the possibility of MBZ being repurposed as an anticancer drug by documenting its success in managing metastatic patients.164,165”

In the second case report, a colon cancer patient with liver and lung metastases, after conventional treatment failed largely due to oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy, mebendazole therapy (200 mg daily) was continued for 42 days, and there were near complete remission of the metastases in the lungs and lymph nodes and a good partial remission in the liver.

“Mebendazole therapy (200 mg daily) was continued for 42 days, and there were near complete remission of the metastases in the lungs and lymph nodes and a good partial remission in the liver [371].”

Many clinical trials with mebendazole are currently on-going; however, published documents in treatment of cancer patients have so far been limited only to 2 case reports.

“Many clinical trials with mebendazole are currently on-going [35]; however, published documents in treatment of cancer patients have so far been limited only to 2 case reports [370,371] (Table 6).”