Long-term antibiotic use ‘linked to cancer-inducing polyps’

People who use antibiotics over an extended period during their early to mid-life may be at a heightened risk of abnormal growths associated with bowel cancer.

This is according to new research led by the Solent NHS Trust and Southampton University, which adds to the emerging understanding that the makeup of bacteria found in the gut has a key role to play in the development of cancer.

Drawing data from 16,642 women, it was shown that those who had taken antibiotics for two months or more during their 20s and 30s were 36 percent more likely to be diagnosed with an adenoma than those who had not received antibiotics for an extended period.

Colorectal adenomas, also known as polyps, are abnormal growths in the colon and rectum that precede the development of most cases of bowel cancer. This association held true regardless of whether the adenoma was considered a high or low risk for bowel cancer.

It was also revealed that women who had taken antibiotics for two months or more during their 40s and 50s were 69 percent more likely to be diagnosed with an adenoma. This may be because the use of antibiotics alters the gut microbiome and reduces resistance to hostile organisms.

The researchers concluded: "The findings, if confirmed by other studies, suggest the potential need to limit the use of antibiotics and sources of inflammation that may drive tumour formation."

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