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HELSINKI, FINLAND. Recent research has shown that a low body
level of the lignan enterolactone is associated with an increased
risk of breast cancer. It is also known that the enterolactone
level in body fluids is strongly reduced by common antibiotics.
Researchers at the Finnish National Public Health Institute
pondered these findings and decided to investigate if there is a
connection between the use of antibiotics and the development of
breast cancer. They began their study during the period 1973-77
when 9461 cancer-free women between the ages of 19 and 89 years
underwent a thorough medical examination (including urine analysis
for bacteriuria) as part of the Finnish Mobile Clinic Health
Examination Survey. The women were asked about their history of
urinary tract infections and the use of antibiotics to treat these
infections. At the final follow-up in 1991 157 of the women had
developed breast cancer.
The researchers found that women under 50 years of age (at the
start of the study) who had used antibiotics to treat urinary
tract infections had a 93 per cent excess risk of developing
breast cancer when followed-up for more than 10 years. The risk
was greatest among younger women and lowest among women aged 60
years or more at entry to the study. It was also clear that
urinary tract infections as such were not associated with an
excess breast cancer risk; it was only when treated with
antibiotics that a strong correlation showed up. The study also
confirmed already known risk factors for breast cancer such as
age, higher level of education, alcohol consumption, none or only
a few childbirths, living in an urban or industrial area, and
being lean and tall. The correlation between antibiotics
treatment and breast cancer held true even when adjusted for these
factors. The researchers conclude that there may be a correlation
between breast cancer and the use of antibiotics to treat urinary
tract infections at a premenopausal age. They suggest that this
conclusion is biologically plausible, but recommend further large-
scale studies to confirm it.
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