Fenbendazole (brand names: Panacur) is a common veterinary medication used to treat intestinal parasites in dogs and cats. It has also recently been linked to anti-cancer effects.
Dogs are ideal hosts for worms, ticks, and other pests, because they sniff, lick, and gobble up everything in their path — including dirt, trash, and poop. Their social behavior also puts them at risk of picking up parasites from friends and other dogs. Unfortunately, some of these unwanted guests can turn into a cancer called fibrosarcoma.
Fibrosarcomas are often spotted by a veterinarian during a physical exam. They appear as firm, nodular tumors on or under the skin, and may bleed, open, and ulcerate at times. Your vet can diagnose a fibrosarcoma based on the appearance and symptoms, but it’s important to get a biopsy done to confirm the diagnosis. This can be done with a fine needle aspiration or a tissue biopsy.
If your dog is diagnosed with fibrosarcoma, your vet will recommend a combination of treatments. These include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. A form of chemotherapy called metronomic chemotherapy is a type of treatment that involves daily low doses of chemotherapy drugs, and has been shown to be effective against fibrosarcoma in some patients.
Some social media posts and TikTok videos have claimed that the deworming drug fenbendazole cures cancer in people, but these claims are false. Fenbendazole is only approved for use as an antiparasitic in pets, and has not been proven to cure human cancer. dog dewormer cancer