Link Found Between Antibiotics and Cancer
The repeated use of antibiotics has been linked to a higher risk of developing cancer, according to a study by the National Public Health Institute.
The Institute's experts warn that the results still have to carefully analysed, but say that this is the strongest evidence so far to suggest a link between antibiotics and cancer. This does not mean a cause-and-effect relationship has been proven, merely that some link exists.
By making use of more than three million medical records, researchers were able to compare patients who received antibiotics in 1995-1997 with the cancer rate among those same people in 1998-2004.
Their findings revealed that those who received two to five treatments of antibiotics were 25 percent more likely to have developed cancer than those who only got one round of antibiotics.
Those who were prescribed antibiotics more than six times were a third more likely to develop cancer. This included a 40 percent higher risk of prostate cancer, 14 percent for breast cancer, 80 percent for lung cancer, and 15 percent for intestinal cancer.
Many Factors Involved Researchers say there are many factors that could explain the correlation between antibiotics and cancer. For example, people who live less healthy lifestyles might be more susceptible to both bacterial infection and cancer. There is no evidence to suggest antibiotics cause cancer.
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