Published 21 August 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a1381
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a1381

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Antibiotics may be linked to risk of cancer

Roger Dobson

1 Abergavenny

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The risk of developing prostate, breast, lung, and colon cancer rises with use of antibiotics, a large observational study has found (International Journal of Cancer 2008 Aug 14, doi: 10.1002/ijc.23622).

The risk of less common cancer has also been linked with antibiotic use. The study shows that the risk of being diagnosed with non-melanoma skin, duodenum, pancreas, kidney, bladder, male genitals (excluding prostate), and thyroid cancers as well as myeloma and leukaemia, was more than 1.5 times more among participants with six or more antibiotic prescriptions, compared with the group with lowest exposure.

"Findings suggest that antibiotic use, especially repeated prescriptions, is associated with increased risk of cancer," say the researchers, whose study is based on more than three million people and more than 100 000 cases.

They say that although antibiotics have previously been suggested to be associated with risk of cancer, the evidence is sparse and . . . [Full text of this article]


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