Repurposing mebendazole against triple-negative breast cancer leptomeningeal disease.

Purpose Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype that often metastasizes to the brain. Leptomeningeal disease (LMD), a devastating brain metastasis common in TNBC, has limited treatment options. We sought to test whether the common anti-helminthic drug mebendazole (MBZ) may be effective against murine TNBC LMD. Methods A small-molecule screen involving TNBC cell lines identified benzimidazoles as potential therapeutic agents for further study.