The post also raises the assumption that a drug capable of acting on both parasites and tumors was not widely used in medicine due to the financial interests of pharmaceutical companies. However, these claims are based on a misleading interpretation of a historical document, isolated experimental results, and unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.
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The Facebook post claims (text unedited): In a declassified 1951 CIA document, a Soviet study is quoted: parasitic worms and cancerous tumors behave almost identically. Both thrive in an oxygen-free environment and accumulate glycogen. The drug “Miracil D,” synthesized in 1938, showed effectiveness against both bilharzia parasites and malignant tumors.
Experiments with mice confirmed: tumor tissues respond differently to chemotherapy than healthy ones. The document was declassified in 2014, having been in the archive for 63 years. The funniest thing is that nowhere in the report does it say that cancer is a parasite, only a biochemical similarity is noted and drugs are proposed that strike both targets. The question is not whether the CIA knew. Why has a substance capable of treating parasites and tumors not yet become a medical breakthrough, and we learn about it from espionage archives?”
Does such a CIA document exist?
The CIA document circulating on social networks is authentic, but its content is interpreted misleadingly.
The two-page intelligence document is dated February 26, 1951, and was publicly released back in 2014, so claims that it was newly declassified in March 2026 are not true.
The document does not contain secret CIA research material but a brief summary of a 1950 article by Soviet scientist V.V. Alpatov, published in the journal “Priroda”.
It describes certain biochemical similarities between parasites and malignant tumor tissues, such as glycogen accumulation, anaerobic metabolism, and reaction to some chemicals.
The report also mentions “Myracyl D”, also called “Miracil D” – a drug developed in 1938 by Bayer scientists to treat schistosomiasis. The document states that in experiments with mice, this substance affected not only parasites but also tumor tissues. However, effects observed in laboratory or animal experiments alone do not prove that the drug is safe and effective for treating human cancer.
The document does not provide results of clinical trials with humans, data on cures, or conclusions that a cancer cure was found. It also does not claim that cancer is a parasitic disease. Therefore, presenting this report as evidence of a decades-long hidden treatment method is unfounded.
The document describes Soviet scientists’ research examining some biochemical similarities between parasitic worms and cancer cells. Most attention was given to how they obtain energy and respond to certain chemicals.
The researchers hypothesized that these similarities might indicate some common biochemical processes in parasites and malignant cells. The report also mentions several experimental compounds whose effects were tested on both parasites and tumors.
The CIA report itself clearly states that this information was taken from a Soviet scientific publication and distributed as “unassessed.” This means the CIA merely relayed the content of a foreign-published study but did not verify or confirm its conclusions.
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Contrary to claims in some social media posts, the document does not say that parasites cause cancer or that a cure for this disease was discovered.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Cancer Society note that some parasites can increase the risk of certain types of cancer, but this is not a general explanation for all oncological diseases.
Moreover, cancer is not a single disease that could be treated with one universal drug. The term covers hundreds of different diseases with varying biological mechanisms, progression, and treatment responses. For this reason, drugs are usually developed and tested for specific cancer types, not as a one-size-fits-all treatment.
Complex disease and treatment are not one
The claim that all cancers are caused by parasites has no scientific basis. In medicine, such a theory is considered pseudoscientific because cancer encompasses many different diseases caused by various genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.
However, science acknowledges that some parasites can increase the risk of specific cancer types. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies, for example, the parasite Schistosoma haematobium, associated with bladder cancer, and Opisthorchis viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis, which can increase the risk of bile duct cancer, as carcinogenic to humans.
In such cases, the disease may be promoted by chronic inflammation and resulting cellular damage, but this is not proof that parasites are the cause of all cancer forms.
Also, since different cancer types manifest differently, treatment methods usually vary and there is no single drug. Treatment generally includes surgery, radiation therapy, and/or systemic therapy (chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted biological therapy).
Different drugs are made for humans and animals, so medical professionals warn that using veterinary drugs can result in serious health problems or even death.
15min verdict: false. The declassified CIA document does not reveal secret antiparasitic drugs that can cure or halt cancer. It describes studies and observations that certain parasitic worms and cancer cells share biochemical properties. Ivermectin is not mentioned at all. Moreover, there is no evidence that this drug could be an answer to cancer treatment.
Publication prepared by 15min in cooperation with Meta, aiming to stop the spread of misleading news on social media. More about the program and its rules – here.
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