# Outcome of ivermectin in cancer treatment: an experience in Loja, Ecuador

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-jimenez-gaona-ivermectin-loja-ecuador-2023/  
OnCo record `paper-jimenez-gaona-ivermectin-loja-ecuador-2023` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

A survey in rural Ecuador found that about one in five people with cancer were taking cattle ivermectin alongside their treatment, while the specialists interviewed said there was no evidence and did not recommend it.

## Summary

Using observation, surveys and interviews in the rural Loja province, the study found that 19 percent of participants diagnosed with cancer took ivermectin-based medicines, commonly used in cattle, as an alternative therapy without leaving chemotherapy, radiotherapy or immunotherapy, while 81 percent used it for other diseases (Loja survey 2023). Participants said they felt better after the third dose; the specialists interviewed said there was no authorisation to prescribe it, no scientific knowledge of its use in humans for cancer, and that they did not recommend it (Loja survey 2023).

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-24
- Journal: Nursing Reports
- Year: 2023
- DOI: 10.3390/nursrep13010030
- Authors: Jiménez-Gaona Y, Vivanco-Galván O, Morales-Larreategui G, Cabrera-Bejarano A, Lakshminarayanan V.
- Findings: 19 percent of surveyed cancer patients used ivermectin as an add-on to their treatment.; Self-reported improvement only; specialists interviewed did not recommend it.
- What it means: Shows how widespread use already is where cancer care is expensive, and why the ICONIC investigators cite it as a reason to run a proper trial.
- Caveats: Small mixed-methods survey; no clinical outcomes measured.

## Sources

- Loja survey 2023: https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep13010030
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36976682/

## Connected records

- drugs: [Ivermectin](https://onco.cc/drugs/ivermectin/)
- trials: [ICONIC: ivermectin combined with immune checkpoint inhibition in cancer (University of Florida phase 2)](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07487805/)
- bottlenecks: [Misinformation and unproven therapies](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/)

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