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William Makis (McGill Medicine) @MakisMedicine - NEW ARTICLE: MEBENDAZOLE in GLIOMA Brain Cancer - 2025 Johns Hopkins Study
HIGHLIGHTS:
In this preclinical study, scientists tested Mebendazole on various brain cancer (glioma) cells in lab dishes and in mice with tumors grown from patient-derived cells
KEY FINDINGS:
1. MBZ kills or slows cancer cells on its own — It worked against many different types of malignant (aggressive) cancer cells at low concentrations. In patient-derived glioma cells, it was effective at even lower doses.
2. MBZ improves survival in mice — Using a special mouse model with a patient-derived grade 3 oligodendroglioma (a type of glioma), oral Mebendazole roughly doubled survival (from about 100 days untreated to 187 days treated).
3. How MBZ works (the mechanisms) — It causes DNA damage (shown by increased markers like pγH2AX), disrupts microtubules (the cell’s “skeleton” needed for division), and triggers apoptosis (programmed cell death) through caspases (enzymes that dismantle dying cells). It also affects proteins involved in cell cycle control and survival.
4. Even better when combined with radiation therapy (RT) — Radiation is a standard glioma treatment. In lab tests, MBZ + RT killed more cells than either alone, caused more cells to arrest in a vulnerable phase of division (G2/M).
In the mouse model (tumors implanted in the brain):
Untreated: short survival (109 days).
RT alone: some improvement (median ~130 days).
MBZ alone: better (median ~215 days).
MBZ + RT: the best result — significantly longer survival than either alone, with over half (54%) of mice surviving long-term (>290 days, cured in many cases), and brain scans showing no tumor left in those long-term survivors.
No major side effects (like weight loss) were seen with the combination.
WHY THIS MATTERS:
High-grade gliomas (aggressive brain cancers) usually have poor survival (often <2 years even with surgery, radiation, and chemo). Lower-grade ones (like this IDH-mutant type) get less attention and are often just watched after surgery.