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Are there any clinical trials investigating ivermectin for basal cell carcinoma treatment?
Executive summary
There is limited clinical-trial evidence testing ivermectin as a cancer therapy and available sources do not identify any registered or published clinical trials specifically evaluating ivermectin for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) treatment [1] [2]. Most reporting describes preclinical lab or case-report interest in ivermectin across various cancers and a small number of early-phase trials in other tumor types — notably an ivermectin + balstilimab trial in metastatic triple‑negative breast cancer — but not trials targeted at BCC [3] [4] [5].
1. Big picture: preclinical promise, sparse clinical proof
Laboratory and animal studies report multiple anticancer mechanisms for ivermectin — from apoptosis induction to modulation of signaling pathways such as Wnt/β‑catenin, Akt/mTOR and PAK1 — across a range of tumor cell lines, which has driven interest in repurposing the drug for oncology [5] [1] [6]. However, systematic reviews and reviews of the literature emphasize that clinical evidence in humans is scarce and no large randomized controlled trials have established benefit in cancer patients broadly [5] [1].
2. What the trial registries and reviews show on BCC specifically
Searches and reviews cited in current reporting conclude that basal cell carcinoma has no published ivermectin clinical trials to date; at least one focused review explicitly states “Basal cell carcinoma does not have Ivermectin studies yet published” [2]. Broader literature reviews note an absence of clinical-trial reports of ivermectin as an anticancer drug, which supports the conclusion that BCC‑specific trials have not appeared in peer‑reviewed records summarized by these sources [1].
3. Trials that do exist — not for BCC but relevant context
There are at least a couple of registered early‑phase clinical trials testing ivermectin in oncology settings, for example an investigator‑initiated trial combining ivermectin with the immune checkpoint agent balstilimab in metastatic triple‑negative breast cancer (ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT05318469) and preliminary phase I/II data presented at meetings reporting very small patient cohorts [3] [4]. These studies show initial safety/efficacy exploration but involve different cancers and immunotherapy combinations, not BCC [3] [4].
4. Anecdotes and case‑compilation sites — signals, not evidence
Patient reports and compilations (for example a 139‑case compilation) include anecdotal instances where topical or systemic ivermectin was used alongside other interventions and lifestyle changes in people with diverse skin cancers or malignancies; one such report mentions topical ivermectin used by a patient with nodular BCC among other conditions [7]. These compilations do not substitute for controlled clinical trials and often mix multiple interventions, making causality impossible to determine from the reports [7].
5. Expert reviews urge caution and further trials
Academic reviews and commentary consistently warn that promising in vitro and animal results frequently fail to translate into effective human cancer treatments, and they call for rigorous human trials before clinical use [5] [1]. One review states explicitly that despite tissue permeability and preclinical effects, “there have been no reports of clinical trials of IVM as an anticancer drug” in the literature it surveyed [1].
6. What this means for patients and clinicians now
For patients with BCC seeking evidence‑based care, the available sources do not support ivermectin as an established or trial‑proven treatment option for basal cell carcinoma; standard dermatologic and oncologic treatments remain the recommended pathway (available sources do not mention specific guideline positions on ivermectin for BCC). Clinicians and researchers interested in exploring ivermectin for skin cancers would need to design and register formal clinical trials targeted at BCC to generate reliable safety and efficacy data [5] [1].
7. Limitations, disagreements and what’s still unknown
Sources agree that preclinical data are intriguing but clinical evidence is limited; they differ in tone about how actively to pursue trials, with integrative outlets more optimistic about repurposing while mainstream reviews emphasize caution and lack of human data [8] [5] [1]. Importantly, available sources do not report any registered, completed, or published clinical trial specifically assessing ivermectin for basal cell carcinoma treatment — that specific answer is consistently absent from current reporting [2] [1].
If you want, I can search ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed directly and return any new trial registrations or published trials since the sources you provided.