Antibiotic link to colorectal cancer risk
Monday January 31st 2022
Regular use of antibiotics may increase the risk of developing colon cancer, according to a new British study.
Using antibiotics regularly under the age of 50 is linked to a 50% increased risk of developing the cancer, according to a major study involving the University of Aberdeen and Queen’s University, Belfast.
In the study, reported in the *British Journal of Cancer*, the researchers sought to control for confounding factors such as underlying health conditions, genes, alcohol consumption and smoking.
The increase in risk for those over the age of 50 was 9%.
The researchers say antibiotics may increase risk to the colon by suppressing gut microbiota. The researchers say the finding may help health professionals discourage patients from seeking inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions.
The study involved an analysis of primary care records of nearly 40,000 people of whom 7,903 had developed colorectal cancer.
Researcher Sarah Perrott said: “We found antibiotic exposure was associated with colon cancer among all age groups.
“This, along with multiple other dietary and lifestyle factors, may be contributing to increased cases of colon cancer among young people.”
Fellow researcher Dr Leslie Samuel, a gastroenterologist at NHS Grampian, said: “We are seeing more cases where people under 50 are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer - a disease traditionally seen in older people. Many do not have factors we might expect to see, such as diabetes, obesity, high alcohol intake and sedentary lifestyle.
“The gut microbiome comprises a delicate balance of bacteria and disruption to that - be it from lifestyle factors or from repeated use of antibiotics as we have seen here, can have very serious consequences.”
And Aberdeen professor of primary care Professor Peter Murchie said: “Against a background of rising antibiotic resistance these data come as a timely reminder to GPs and their patients that taking antibiotics can have consequences, some of which may be yet to emerge.”
Alice Davies, of Cancer Research UK, said the finding was “another piece in the puzzle.”
She said: “The results of this study build on previous research examining a link between antibiotic use and colon cancer.
“Currently there isn’t enough evidence to say if antibiotics are definitely increasing people’s risk, but this gives us another piece of the puzzle. Continued research is needed, we still need to understand which antibiotics might increase the risk, how this happens, and how much they increase risk by.”
Oral antibiotic use and early-onset colorectal cancer: findings from a case-control study using a national clinical database *BJC* 17 December 2021
Tags: Cancer | Gastroenterology | Pharmaceuticals | UK News
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