Antibiotics and Breast Cancer Risk
Author Information
Author(s): Knekt P, Adlercreutz H, Rissanen H, Aromaa A, Teppo L, Heliövaara M
Primary Institution: National Public Health Institute
Hypothesis
Does antibacterial treatment for urinary tract infection contribute to the risk of breast cancer?
Conclusion
Premenopausal women using long-term medication for urinary tract infections may have an elevated risk of future breast cancer, but the results are inconclusive.
Supporting Evidence
- Low lignan status has been reported to be related to an elevated risk of breast cancer.
- Women reporting previous or present medication for urinary tract infection showed an elevated breast cancer risk.
- The age-adjusted relative risk for women under 50 was 1.74.
- The relative risk for younger women was 1.93 for follow-up times longer than 10 years.
Takeaway
The study looked at whether taking antibiotics for urinary tract infections could lead to breast cancer, especially in younger women, and found some signs that it might be a risk.
Methodology
The study followed 9461 Finnish women aged 19-89 who were initially cancer-free and examined their history of urinary tract infection treatment and breast cancer diagnosis over time.
Limitations
The results are still inconclusive and need further testing by other studies.
Participant Demographics
Finnish women aged 19-89 years, initially cancer-free.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI 0.98–1.83
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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