Worm tablet could be repurposed as brain cancer treatment

Article excerpt

Mebendazole, a cheap antiparasitic drug used against intestinal worms for decades, has shown surprising promise against brain tumors in laboratory and animal studies. A systematic review in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found the drug consistently slowed tumor growth, doubled survival rates in mice, and when combined with radiotherapy, left more than half of treated mice tumor-free. Bond University researchers are calling for human trials to test whether the drug's brain-cancer-fighting properties translate from the lab to patients. The finding is notable because mebendazole is already widely available and inexpensive, potentially offering a low-cost treatment avenue for a devastating disease.