A recent study by Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente found that antibiotics use is unlikely to be a factor in the increase in CRC diagnosis in adults under 50.
The study, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, focused on whether antibiotics use might be a contributing factor in the spike in CRC cases that began in the 1990s, according to an Oct. 3 news release.
Here are 10 things to know about the study:
1. The study included 1,359 Kaiser Permanente Northern California members who were diagnosed with CRC between the ages of 18 and 49.
2. Each patient was paired with four healthy KPNC members of the same age, race, sex and ethnicity.
3. The researchers compared oral antibiotic use between the 4,711 healthy patients and the 1,359 patients with CRC.
4. The study found no association between the number of times a person was given antibiotics and the risk of being diagnosed with CRC.
5. The analysis considered both the type of antibiotic used and where in the colon or rectum the cancer was developed.
6. The study also accounted for other risk factors such as body mass index, smoking history, diabetes, diverticulitis and family history of CRC.
7. The study does not rule out whether antibiotic use in childhood or adolescence or exposure during pregnancy could be a factor in younger adult CRC spikes.
8. Jeffrey Lee, MD, a research scientist involved with the study and a gastroenterologist with The Permanente Medical Group said that patients should not shy away from antibiotics due to concerns about a potential risk for CRC.
9. "We know that antibiotic resistance is a real concern because all too often people take antibiotics for things they can’t treat, like a cold, the flu or bronchitis," Dr. Lee said. "We need to continue to have doctors prescribe them only when necessary."
10. The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute and Kaiser Permanente Northern California Graduate Medical Education.