Oct 02, 2021 18:00:00

'Antibiotics may increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer' is shown in a large study of more than 40,000 cancer patients

Antibiotics are prescribed for the purpose of killing bacteria that are harmful to humans and suppressing their growth, but in recent years, the emergence of resistant bacteria (super bugs) that antibiotics do not work has been regarded as a problem, and antibiotics There colorectal cancer (colon cancer and rectal cancer) also may increase the risk of developing multiple of research at shown you. A newpaper published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found an association between antibiotics and increased risk of developing colorectal cancer in a study of more than 40,000 colorectal cancer patients in Sweden. It was reported that it was accepted.

Antibiotics Use and Subsequent Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Swedish Nationwide Population-Based Study | JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute | Oxford Academic
https://academic.oup.com/jnci/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jnci/djab125/6360113

Antibiotics may raise colon cancer risk, massive study suggests | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/colon-cancer-antibiotic-use-link.html

In Sweden, individuals are given a unique ID number, which can be used to collate links to various medical data. From national medical data, the research team collected records of 40,545 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 2010 and 2016 and the antibiotics prescribed by them during the two years leading up to the diagnosis. Compared to more than 200,000 people who do not have colorectal cancer.

The analysis found that people who took antibiotics for more than 6 months had a 17% higher risk of developing cancer in the first half of the colon than those who did not take antibiotics. bottom. On the other hand, no association was found between the risk of cancer in the second half of the colon or the rectum and the use of antibiotics.

Colon small intestine and cecum begins right lower quadrant Following extends upward flank ascending colon extending from the abdomen of the right to the left transverse colon , extending left abdomen below the descending colon , it strikes the end S-shaped colon in It is composed of a colon that connects to the anus. It seems that taking antibiotics was related to the risk of developing cancer on the right side of the ascending colon and transverse colon, and the risk was particularly high on the side of the ascending colon near the small intestine.

Sophia Harlid, a senior author of the paper and an oncology researcher at Umeå University in Sweden, said, 'The data show that (the areas at high risk of developing cancer) are confined to the proximal or right side of the colon. It's clear, 'he told the science media Live Science.

The results of this study only found a correlation between taking antibiotics and the risk of developing cancer, and did not find a causal relationship that 'taking antibiotics increases the risk of developing cancer.' ..

However, there are valid hypotheses about the mechanism by which taking antibiotics increases the risk of developing cancer. When the antibiotics taken reach the colon, the bacteria in the colon are killed and the

intestinal flora is out of balance. This can lead to more harmful bacteria, such as E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, and increased inflammation in the colon, resulting in the production of chemicals that can damage DNA and form tumors. That is. It is also possible that intestinal bacteria can penetrate more into the inner wall of the colon and form a biofilm, a biofilm of microorganisms associated with the development of colon cancer.

The antibiotics that reach the large intestine are gradually decomposed in the process of going inside, but in many cases, the antibiotic molecules have not been completely decomposed near the entrance of the colon, which is connected to the small intestine. Therefore, the fact that only the risk of developing cancer in the first half of the colon was associated with taking antibiotics in the results of this study suggests that taking antibiotics affects the risk of developing colon cancer. doing.

The research team also looked at prescription records for the drug

metenamine hyplate (metenamine hyplate) to gain insight into why antibiotic use increases the risk of developing cancer. Methenamine hyplate is an antibiotic used to prevent the recurrence of urinary tract infections and has the ability to suppress bacterial growth in the urine, but it does not alter the intestinal flora.

An analysis of taking methenamine hyplate and the risk of developing colon cancer showed that metenamine hyplate was also not associated with the risk of developing colon cancer, and only antibiotics that affect intestinal bacteria were found to be colon cancer. It turned out to be related.

The results of this study suggest a relationship between antibiotics and the risk of developing cancer, but the data did not include information such as individual eating habits or smoking / alcohol intake, and antibiotics were prescribed. There were some limitations, such as not being able to identify whether people actually took it. However, the study is quite large, and Harlid says, 'this definitely suggests the right direction.'

The team hopes to conduct a large follow-up study as more data accumulates to see if certain antibiotics are strongly associated with the risk of developing colon cancer.

In the future, 'dietary supplements made to rebalance the gut microbiota' may emerge for those who have to take antibiotics.