Mebendazole; from an anti-parasitic drug to a promising candidate for drug repurposing in colorectal cancer

Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) predominantly contributes to cancer-related mortalities secondary to distant metastasis. This study aimed at investigating anti-tumor activity and safety of mebendazole in patients with mCRC. This prospective, randomized double blind placebo-controlled study enrolled 40 mCRC patients who were randomized into two groups; the control group (n = 20) which received 6 cycles of bevacizumab with FOLFOX4 plus placebo tablets BID and mebendazole group (n = 20) which received 6 cycles of bevacizumab with FOLFOX4 plus mebendazole 500 mg orally BID for 12 weeks. Computed tomography scanning and serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), liver and renal parameters were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks. One-year overall survival and progression free survival (PFS) were also determined. Data were analyzed using paired, independent sample-t-tests, Mann-Whitney U, Chi-Square and Kaplan-Meier tests and p