Worm meds for cancer

Repositioning of Anthelmintic Drugs for the Treatment of Cancers of the Digestive System

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7404055/

Tumours of the digestive system,

their incidence continues to increase.

The process discovering and validating novel and effective drugs against these malignancies, lengthy and costly

Drug repositioning (drug repurposing), finding new uses for approved drugs,

provides the opportunity to expedite promising anti-cancer agents into clinical trials.

Some classes of anthelmintics

Infections caused by parasitic worms (helminths)

Meds have shown pronounced anti-tumor activities

Ability to target key oncogenic signal transduction pathways.

Benzimidazoles

Some have been successfully tested for the treatment of gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatic cancers.

Mebendazole

Blocks tubulin polymerization, compromise microtubule function

Seen to inhibit cell growth and invasion of ascites cell line derived from a primary gastric tumor,

whether used alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic

Treatment was also successfully tested in five CRC cell lines,

showed no cytotoxic activity against three cell lines with non-malignant phenotype

Induced remission of lung and lymph node metastases, and a partial remission of liver metastases, in a patient with refractory metastatic colon cancer

Showed anti-cancer properties in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Emerging Perspectives on the Antiparasitic Mebendazole as a Repurposed Drug for the Treatment of Brain Cancers

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9862092/

Albendazole

Cytostatic effect on the human cancer cell lines

Potential anti-cancer agent also for the treatment of HCC

Pancreatic cancer lines

Positive mice studies, some early human studies

Ivermectin

CRC, gastric cancer

(vitro and in vivo)
Ivermectin, a potential anticancer drug derived from an antiparasitic drug

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7505114/

Mechanisms of action

IVM induces different programmed cell death patterns, e.g. apoptosis.

Forms of cancer

Breast cancer

Digestive system cancer

Gastric cancer

Hepatocellular carcinoma

Urinary system cancer

Renal cell carcinoma

Prostate cancer

Hematological cancer

Leukemia

Reproductive system cancer

Cervical cancer

Ovarian cancer

Brain glioma

Glioblastoma

Respiratory system cancer

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Lung cancer

Melanoma

Right to Try

https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-sign-right-try-legislation-fulfilling-promise-made-expand-healthcare-options-terminal-americans/

Kathleen T Ruddy, MD

https://twitter.com/DocRuddy