When Joe Tippens was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer in 2016, he was told that his condition had metastasized to his organs and bones and he only had months to live. The Edmond, Oklahoma, man refused to accept the prognosis and immediately began pursuing other treatments that could help him extend his life at least enough to meet his first grandson.
Among the options he chose was something many doctors and researchers would never have thought of: a dog dewormer. In a recent news story aired by local TV station KOCO, the 74-year-old Tippens credits the dog medicine he was prescribed — fenbendazole (also known as Panacur) — with curing his cancer and helping him lose more than 200 pounds in the process.
While some peer-reviewed studies have found fenbendazole may have some cancer-fighting properties, the federal cancer agency and FDA have not approved it as a human cancer treatment. The agency also notes that there is no evidence fenbendazole cures cancer in humans and that it has not been proven safe for human use.
While experts like Prescott are skeptical, they don’t dismiss the anti-parasitic’s potential. In fact, research suggests that fenbendazole can potentially help treat certain kinds of cancer by disrupting the growth of microtubules, which are essential for the proper function of cells in healthy bodies. It’s an implication that’s not lost on cancer patients who are using social media to self-administer veterinary medicines — like fenbendazole — as cancer treatments. dog dewormer for cancer