What’s Changed Since His Remarkable Cancer Recovery Nine Years Ago

Seven years ago, I sat down with Joe Tippens for our first interview. His remarkable recovery from widely metastatic small cell lung cancer was already attracting attention, but neither of us could have imagined just how far his story would travel.

Today, Joe is nine years NED (no evidence of disease). And when we recently sat down for our fourth interview, he told me something that may surprise anyone who has followed his story:

The protocol that made Joe Tippens famous is not the same protocol he follows today.

In fact, Joe told me, “I’ve completely changed the protocol.”

That got my attention.

After nine years of digging into the research and hearing from thousands of people who have tried variations of his approach, Joe has learned a lot. Some of it has changed his thinking. And some of it, he says, has been badly misunderstood.

Now he wants to set the record straight.

I wanted to get beyond the story most people already know and ask some of the questions that still surround Joe’s remarkable recovery. Was it really fenbendazole that helped him—or was it Keytruda? Why did he change his original protocol? What does he think about ivermectin? And perhaps most intriguing of all, what is he working on now?

Even if you’ve followed Joe’s story for years, I think you’ll hear some things in this interview that will surprise you.

The Joe Tippens Story Has Taken on a Life of Its Own

When I first interviewed Joe, his story was already extraordinary.

He had been diagnosed with small cell lung cancer that had spread throughout his body and had been told his disease was terminal. Then came his now-famous decision to try fenbendazole, a drug commonly used as an animal de-wormer, while he was also participating in a clinical trial involving the immunotherapy drug Keytruda.

What happened next would eventually make Joe’s name known around the world.

But during our latest conversation, I learned that all that attention has come with a downside.

Joe told me that 24 books have now been written about his story, 18 of them using his name on the cover—even though he didn’t write or authorize them. He also described websites and marketers using his photograph, his name, and even AI-generated versions of his voice to sell products to cancer patients.

Joe wanted to make one thing very clear:

“I have no products to sell.”

That’s an important part of this story. Joe says his purpose has always been to share what happened to him and what he has learned since, not to build a business around people searching for hope.

▶ Hear Joe talk about the misuse of his name at 6:47.

“I’ve Completely Changed the Protocol”

Then Joe said something that really got my attention:

“I’ve completely changed the protocol.”

Considering how many versions of the “Joe Tippens Protocol” are circulating online today, that’s a pretty significant statement.

The original protocol grew out of what Joe himself did during his cancer journey. But Joe hasn’t stopped asking questions or looking for answers. He told me that years of reading research, communicating with people around the world, and following the experiences reported back to him have changed his thinking.

Later in our conversation, he explains how his current approach differs from the familiar three-days-on, four-days-off schedule that became associated with his name.

If you’ve found an old version of Joe’s protocol on a website, in a book, on Facebook, or in an online forum, I think this is one part of the interview you’ll especially want to hear directly from Joe.

▶ Joe begins explaining why the protocol changed at 12:11.

But Was It Fenbendazole… or Was It Keytruda?

This is a question that has followed Joe’s story almost from the beginning, and I wanted to ask him about it directly.
When Joe began taking fenbendazole, he was also participating in a clinical trial involving Keytruda. So how can anyone know which treatment was responsible for his remarkable recovery?

Joe doesn’t believe Keytruda alone explains what happened to him, and in our conversation, he explains why.

▶ Joe and I take on the Keytruda question at 12.55.

He also tells me about what he has seen in the years since his own recovery. Among the most striking numbers he shares are an estimated 5,000 success stories that he says have now been reported to him, involving many different cancers.

After hearing story after story, Joe wanted to know why.

What was fenbendazole actually doing?

The Cases Joe Can’t Forget

Numbers are one thing. People are another.

One of the stories Joe shared with me involved seven people who had contacted him with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
According to Joe, their cancers didn’t simply disappear. At first, they remained stable.

And they stayed that way.

Over time—roughly 18 to 22 months—Joe says all seven eventually reported reaching NED, or no evidence of disease.

He also told me that, even today, he typically receives three to five new success stories every week.

Listening to him talk about those people, I could understand why he’s still doing this nine years later. These aren’t simply numbers to Joe. They’re people whose stories have stayed with him.

▶ Joe shares some of the cases he hasn’t forgotten beginning around 20:51.

How Joe Tippens Became Known as “Uncle Joey” in China

Then there’s one of my favorite stories from our conversation: how Joe somehow became “Uncle Joey” in China.

Joe told me about an unexpected call he received from China. A Chinese student at Arizona State University, he learned, had translated Joe’s blog into two dialects and posted versions of it online.

Then came the real surprise.

According to the caller, an estimated 70,000 people in China were following something they called the “Uncle Joey Protocol.”

Naturally, Joe wanted to know where that name came from.

Apparently, it could be traced all the way back to his niece Casey, who had referred to him as “Uncle Joey” on Facebook. The affectionate nickname caught on.

Joe laughed as he told me that he had somehow become a “rock star named Uncle Joey in China.”

It’s a funny story, but there’s something bigger behind it. Joe’s story has crossed oceans, languages, and cultures, sometimes without him even knowing it was happening.

▶ Hear the “Uncle Joey” story beginning at 18:46.

What If Fenbendazole Isn’t the End of the Story?

Eventually our conversation moved beyond what happened to Joe and into a question I find even more interesting:

Why might fenbendazole have had an effect at all?

Joe has spent years trying to understand what might have happened inside his own body. During our interview, he walked me through some of the research he believes may help explain it.

But his work hasn’t stopped there.

Joe told me he’s now working with scientists on an altered molecule that he hopes can eventually be patented and studied in human clinical trials.

He isn’t ready to reveal exactly what it is.

Near the end of our conversation, however, Joe told me he expects to be able to share more once the patent has been filed.

That caught my attention.

Because nine years after Joe Tippens became known around the world as the man who took an unconventional gamble when he believed he had little left to lose, his story may be entering an entirely new chapter.

Nine years later, Joe isn’t content simply knowing that he survived. He wants to understand why—and whether what he’s learned can ultimately help others. As a cancer survivor myself, it’s a mission I understand all too well.

▶ Joe reveals what he’s working on at 35:48.

What About Ivermectin?

I also wanted Joe’s thoughts on ivermectin.

The two drugs are frequently mentioned together today, particularly in conversations about repurposed drugs and cancer. But Joe has spent years looking closely at this subject, and his preference remains fenbendazole.

During our conversation, he explains why he believes the two compounds work differently and why, when it comes to his own approach, he continues to favor fenbendazole.

Rather than trying to summarize all of Joe’s reasoning here, I’d encourage you to hear his explanation for yourself.

▶ Hear Joe’s thoughts on ivermectin at 54:22.

One More Thing Joe Believes Made a Difference

Toward the end of our conversation, we got away from drugs, molecules, protocols, and research for a moment.
I asked Joe about something much harder to measure:

His mindset.

From the beginning, Joe told me, he was convinced he was going to beat his cancer.

Looking back nine years later, even Joe can’t tell us exactly how much that belief contributed to what happened. But listening to him talk about it reminded me of something I’ve seen many times in my own journey and in the stories of other cancer survivors I’ve interviewed.
Hope matters.

It doesn’t replace treatment. It doesn’t come with guarantees. But when someone has been handed a devastating diagnosis, refusing to surrender hope can be powerful.

And Joe never surrendered his.

▶ Hear our conversation about mindset at 1:01:54.

The Bottom Line

I’ve known Joe for years now. I’ve interviewed him four times, and I’ve watched his story reach people in places neither of us could have imagined when we first sat down together.

But this latest conversation reminded me of something important:

Joe’s story isn’t finished.

His thinking has evolved. His protocol has changed. He’s still studying, still asking questions, and still trying to understand why things unfolded the way they did.

And perhaps that’s why I found this interview so compelling.

It’s not simply another retelling of how Joe Tippens survived stage 4 cancer. It’s a chance to hear from Joe himself about what he’s learned since then.

I hope you’ll watch our entire conversation and hear directly from Joe what’s changed, what hasn’t, and where he believes this remarkable journey may be headed next.