Researchers have found that combining mebendazole, a drug used to treat parasitic worm infections, with the anticancer medication gefitinib may help suppress lung cancer cells that have become resistant to treatment. The study was published in the journal PLOS One.
How the researchers tested the drug combination
In laboratory experiments, the researchers used lung cancer cells that had stopped responding to gefitinib, a drug that blocks signals involved in cancer cell growth.
The resistant cells were divided into groups and treated with gefitinib alone, mebendazole alone or a combination of both drugs.
After three days, the researchers measured cell viability to determine how effectively each treatment reduced the number of surviving cancer cells.
Combination treatment reduces cancer cell viability
The results showed that gefitinib alone had little effect on the resistant cells, which retained 92.7% viability relative to the control group. When the two drugs were combined, cell viability fell to 37.7%.
Read also: Simple blood test predicts lung cancer 5 years early.
These findings suggest that mebendazole may help restore the sensitivity of resistant lung cancer cells to gefitinib. However, the results come from laboratory testing and do not establish that the combination will work in patients.
Mouse study shows slower tumor growth
The researchers also tested the combination in an animal experiment involving 80 female mice implanted with cancer cells. Once tumors had developed, the mice were divided into groups receiving different treatment regimens.
Over the 40-day experiment, the researchers monitored tumor size and assessed how well the animals tolerated the treatments.
Tumors in untreated mice grew nearly 11-fold. In mice receiving the combination treatment, tumor growth was slower, with tumors increasing in size by approximately 4.6-fold.
The authors also reported no severe side effects in the mice during the experiment.
More research needed before human trials
Although the findings are promising, the study remains at the preclinical stage. Results from cancer cells and animal models do not necessarily translate into similar outcomes in humans.
Further research is needed to establish the combination’s safety, appropriate dosage and effectiveness before it can be considered a potential treatment for people with drug-resistant lung cancer.
