“Benzimidazoles, including albendazole, fenbendazole, mebendazole, and nocodazole, have been used as anthelmintics and fungicides…fenbendazole, and nocodazole significantly inhibited multiple myeloma cell proliferation..”
Hi David – I started Fenben about a month ago. I take it 3 days a week. Tonight I heard Chris Wark strongly caution people against it. He said it has been known to initially be effective, but then the body figures out a way around it – which can cause premature death. Of course he was not referring specifically to MM. Have you heard that?
And what is the difference between Fenben and Mebendazole? Thanks so much!
Hi Jaime-
Several MM CC members have asked about Fenben. From my internet searches, it seems that Fenben is becoming more common as a cancer therapy. As you know, I’ve posted that a non-conventional therapy like Fenben makes me nervous, not being well researched, but I can’t say anything negative about it beyond my general nervousness.
Further, according to the article linked below, fenben is both cytotoxic to MM and synergistic, enhances the efficacy of lenalidomide aka revlimid.
If I were relaped, refractory I would have a difficult time not trying fenben therapy myself.
As for your question “what is the difference between Fenben and Mebendazole?” All I can offer is the excerpt below from the study linked below. My interpretation is that both fenbendazole and medendazole are both a class of drugs called benzimidazoles.
“Benzimidazoles, including albendazole, fenbendazole, mebendazole, and nocodazole, have been used as anthelmintics and fungicides on the basis of their antimicrotubule activity (10) and have been reported to elicit promising antitumor effect (11–13)”
I have to admit Jaime, I know little about fenben. I only read about it in online groups. I wish I could offer more…
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Recommended Reading:
“Fenbendazole is a broad spectrum benzimidazole anthelmintic used against gastrointestinal parasites including: giardia, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, the tapeworm genus Taenia (but not effective against Dipylidium caninum, a common dog tapeworm), pinworms, aelurostrongylus, paragonimiasis, strongyles, and strongyloides that can be administered to sheep, cattle, horses, fish, dogs, cats, rabbits, and seals…
Toxicity[edit]
Despite being widely used as a dewormer in many species, toxicity has been reported. Birds (storks, pink pelicans, vultures, pigeons and doves) and reptiles (vipers, turtles and tortoises) have shown toxicity associated with bone marrow suppression, intestinal crypt cell necrosis, and distal villi sloughing.[citation needed]
Fenbendazole is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in most species. The LD50 in laboratory animals exceeds 10 g/kg when administered orally.[1]
“Nocodazole combined with dexamethasone significantly inhibited myeloma tumor growth and prolonged survival in a human xenograft mouse model. Our studies show that nocodazole has potent antimyeloma activity and that targeting the microtubular network might be a promising new treatment approach for multiple myeloma. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(10); 1886–96. ©2011 AACR…
Benzimidazoles, including albendazole, fenbendazole, mebendazole, and nocodazole, have been used as anthelmintics and fungicides on the basis of their antimicrotubule activity (10) and have been reported to elicit promising antitumor effect (11–13). Although nocodazole has been recently categorized as an antineoplastic agent, the antimyeloma effects and its underlying mechanism of action have not been examined yet….
Nocodazole inhibits myeloma cell growth and overcomes chemoresistance
We tested the direct effects of benzimidazoles on human multiple myeloma cell proliferation and cell death induction. Albendazole, fenbendazole, and nocodazole significantly inhibited multiple myeloma cell proliferation with an IC50 value of 25 to 94 nmol/L for U266 multiple myeloma cells and an IC50 value of 63 to 380 nmol/L for H929 multiple myeloma cells…
To further investigate the effects of nocodazole, we tested nocodazole in combination with other compounds. As shown in Fig. 5A, combination of nocodazole with lenalidomide, dexamethasone, or a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor inhibitor KD5170 (17) resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) inhibition of proliferation compared with either drug alone…
In summary, our studies show that nocodazole targets the multiple myeloma cell and its microenvironment (14). Nocodazole mediates its antimyeloma activity through sequential microtubular network damage and cell-cycle arrest. JNK-mediated Bcl-2 phosphorylation results in multiple myeloma cell apoptosis. Nocodazole overcomes drug resistance, decreases tumor growth, and extends survival in vivo in human xenograft mice model. The known toxicity profile and selective activity against myeloma cells provide the rationale for considering nocodazole as future treatment for multiple myeloma.”