Oral Antibiotics Increase the Risk of Colon Cancer

Release Date: 18-Sep-2019

The researchers recently founds that multiple consumption of oral antibiotics may lead to development of colon cancer. The commonly used antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporin may results in the colon cancer. The antibiotics, which are able to kill the anaerobic bacteria has more chances to form colon cancer.

According to the colon cancer experts, the reasons for this effect is remain unclear and it might not reflect a direct effect of antibiotics at all. Some of the researchers suggests that the risk was greatest among people who'd used antibiotics for a period of about 30 to 60 days, or longer. It is also suggest that those patients might have been quite sick.

The main reason associated with the colon cancer is effects of antibiotics on the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome refers to the vast collection of bacteria and other microbes that naturally populate the colon. Recent research has been suggesting that the balance of microbes there may have broad effects on health. They proved immunity and improves the digestion. So, disturbance of Gut microbiome results in the development of colon cancer.

The report on the antibiotic’s relation with colon cancer was published on 21 August 2019 in the journal Gut. The results are based on over 166,000 middle-aged and older primary care patients whose information was collected between 1989 and 2012. Nearly 29,000 were diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer at some point; each of those patients was compared with up to five others who remained free of the cancers.

On average, the research and observations showed that patients who'd received a prescription were at slightly higher risk of colon cancer, which is about 9% higher if the duration of antibiotic treatment is more than two weeks, as compared to no prescription. People who were on the medications for more than 60 days, is at a high risk of colon cancer development, which is about 17% higher risk.

 After that, researchers suggest some of the other risk associated with the colon cancer such as obesity, diabetes and smoking. In contrast, antibiotic use was linked to a small decrease in the risk of rectal cancer. The reasons for that are unclear. But, it may reflect the fact that colon and rectal cancers are distinct from one another.