ANTIBIOTICS are extremely helpful in the treatment of infection. However, scientists are still learning about health problems that result from antibiotic use and overuse.

Results of a new study, which were shared at the European Society for Medical Oncology World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer 2021, indicate that people, especially those under the age of 50, may be at an increased risk of colon cancer due to the use of antibiotics.

This new information reinforces the importance of careful prescription of antibiotics and potentially adds weight to arguments for colon cancer screening among younger people.

Antibiotics are useful in the treatment of certain types of infection. While doctors use them to treat bacterial infections, they are not effective against infections caused by viruses.

Moreover, antibiotics are not always necessary, because sometimes, the body is able to ward off the infection on its own.

Unnecessary use of antibiotics is a growing concern internationally.

For example, people taking antibiotics are at risk of Clostridioides difficile infections and other infection types that are resistant to antibiotics.

Moreover, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) note that antibiotics can kill off the helpful bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.

In order to balance these risks, healthcare professionals need to avoid prescribing antibiotics that are not a necessary treatment.

There is a mounting concern about the prevalence of colorectal cancer in younger individuals.

Authors of the present study, which is a nested case-control study, gathered data from patients in Scotland and analyzed cases of early onset and later onset colorectal cancer.

They classified individuals under the age of 50 years as having early onset colorectal cancer, and those aged 50 years or older as having later onset colorectal cancer.

The researchers compared a total of 7,903 individuals with colorectal cancer with 30,418 individuals in the control groups. Of the study participants with a colorectal cancer diagnosis, 445 were under the age of 50.

The researchers examined the prescription of oral antibiotics and antibiotic exposure period in those with colorectal cancer and in the matched control groups.

They found a link between antibiotic use and an increased risk of colon cancer in both the early and later onset categories.

Risk of colon cancer related to antibiotic use varied between the early onset and later onset groups.

According to the study results the researchers shared, people with later onset colorectal cancer had an associated risk of 9 percent. The association was much higher in those with early onset colorectal cancer, with an almost 50 percent increased risk.

However, this risk was not associated with every type of antibiotic or every type of colorectal cancer. The researchers note that “among both age groups, most classes of antibiotic were not significantly associated with colon, rectal, or distal colon cancer.”

In the younger age group, the increased risk was related to cancer found in the first part of the large intestine and the use of quinolones and sulfonamides/trimethoprim antibiotics.

The study raises awareness of potential risk factors for colon cancer and promotes caution in the use of antibiotics. The study further emphasizes that younger individuals are still at risk of colon cancer.

(SD-Agencies)