October 7, 2008 – Antibiotic consumption may be associated with a slight increased risk of developing certain cancers, according to researchers at the Finnish National Institute of Public Health.
The observational study1 was conducted on a large cohort of more than three million subjects, none of whom had suffered from cancer and for whom data on their antibiotic use was available between 1995 and 1997.
During the period from 1998 to 2004, approximately 4.5% of subjects were diagnosed with cancer. Statistical analysis of the data indicates that the use of antibiotics is associated with a slight but significant increase in the relative risk of suffering from various forms of cancer, including breast, prostate, lung and colon.
These results do not indicate that antibiotics are a direct cause of cancer, the authors point out. They prefer, for now, to talk about a potential indicator of the risk of later suffering from cancer.
Taking antibiotics on a regular basis could indicate that a person has a weak immune system or that their body is often suffering from inflammation, which can help trigger a cancerous process, the study authors explain.
Without questioning the usefulness of antibiotics to counter bacterial infections, the Finnish researchers point out that certain antibiotics harm the intestinal flora which plays an important immune role. These drugs could also disrupt estrogen metabolism and thus facilitate the development of hormone-dependent cancer, they add.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Kilkkinen A, Rissanen H, et al. Antibiotic use predicts an increased risk of cancer, Int J Cancer, 2008 Nov 1; 123 (9): 2152-5.
