Is ivermectin effective for treating cancer?

From the Guidelines

Ivermectin is not effective for cancer treatment and should not be used as a therapeutic option. The current evidence does not support the use of ivermectin as a cancer therapy in humans, and it is not approved by regulatory agencies for cancer treatment 1. While some laboratory studies may have shown potential anti-cancer properties, these findings have not been translated into proven benefits in actual cancer patients.

Key Considerations

• Cancer-directed therapy should be considered only when it has a reasonable chance of working and providing meaningful clinical benefit 1.
• Interventions with insufficient evidence of efficacy or unknown toxicity should typically not be considered outside the highly regulated context of a clinical trial 1.
• Established treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapies prescribed by oncologists are the recommended approaches for cancer treatment.

Risks of Unproven Treatments

• Using unproven treatments like ivermectin could delay effective care and potentially cause harm.
• Self-medicating with ivermectin for cancer is dangerous and should be avoided.
• Patients should consult with a qualified oncologist who can recommend evidence-based therapies appropriate for their specific type and stage of cancer.

Evidence-Based Medicine

• The American Society of Clinical Oncology statement emphasizes the importance of evaluating and explaining available therapeutic options to patients, including both potential benefits and risks of therapy 1.
• As a guiding principle, anticancer therapy should be considered only when it has a reasonable chance of working and providing meaningful clinical benefit 1.

From the Research

Efficacy of Ivermectin in Cancer Treatment

• The study 2 found that 19% of participants diagnosed with cancer used ivermectin as an alternative therapy, and although they reported improvements in their health, specialists noted that there is no scientific knowledge about the application of ivermectin in humans for cancer treatment.
• Research 3 demonstrated that ivermectin exerts antitumor effects in different types of cancer by interacting with several targets, including the multidrug resistance protein, the Akt/mTOR and WNT-TCF pathways, and cancer-related epigenetic deregulators.
• A study 4 showed that ivermectin synergizes with sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma via targeting multiple oncogenic pathways, and its potential to inhibit metastasis and target cancer stem cell functions.
• The antitumor effects of ivermectin at clinically feasible concentrations were observed in a study 5, which supported its clinical development as a repositioned cancer drug, with ivermectin inducing cell cycle arrest and reducing cell viability and colony formation capacity in cancer cell lines.
• Another study 6 found that ivermectin inhibits tumor metastasis by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin/integrin β1/FAK signaling pathway, providing a rationale for exploring its potential clinical application in the prevention and treatment of cancer metastasis.

Mechanisms of Action

• Ivermectin has been shown to interact with multiple targets, including the multidrug resistance protein, the Akt/mTOR and WNT-TCF pathways, and cancer-related epigenetic deregulators 3.
• The drug inhibits metastasis and targets cancer stem cell functions 4, and regulates the Wnt/β-catenin/integrin β1/FAK signaling pathway to prevent tumor metastasis 6.
• Ivermectin also induces cell cycle arrest and reduces cell viability and colony formation capacity in cancer cell lines 5.

Clinical Implications

• The studies suggest that ivermectin may be a potential therapeutic agent for cancer treatment, particularly in combination with other drugs such as sorafenib 4 or docetaxel, cyclophosphamide, and tamoxifen 5.
• However, further research is needed to fully understand the efficacy and safety of ivermectin in cancer treatment, as noted by specialists in the study 2.