Vol. 17, No. 29, January 17, 2005

IN THIS ISSUE:

This Reveille Home Page | The Friday Program: Antibiotics ­ Friend or Foe? | Tsunami Relief Total at $9,375 | Annual Valentine Dinner | Friday Potpourri | New Member Application Accepted by Board: Dan Geare | Rotarian of the Month: Sayoko Kuwahara | Student of the Month: Laura Ng | Board of Directors Actions | Web Fun

The Friday Program:
Antibiotics -- Friend or Foe?

It appears the jury is still out when it comes to answering Friday’s topic question. Chris Velicer, PhD, from the UW Medical Center, gave important information regarding the use of antibiotics and whether this use could increase the prospect of breast cancer. Velicer is a Senior Trainee at the Center and has been involved an extensive cancer research project.

First, Velicer gave her audience a lesson in medical terms. “Antimicrobial Resistance” is another way of saying that bacteria has built up a resistance to antibiotics through its use over the years. “All colds and flu are virus-caused and antibiotics cannot kill viruses. However, some bacteria can be controlled by antibiotics. When antibiotics are taken unnecessarily or improperly (not following physician’s directions), they can cause drug-resistant infections. These are most difficult to impossible to treat. Drug-resistant infections can be passed from person to person.”

Because of research which shows that some bacteria have built up resistance to antibiotics, physicians are holding off prescribing them for such afflictions as childhood ear infections.

Velicer raised the question about a connection between the use of antibiotics and cancer. She is often asked, “Is this possible? How could antibiotics be associated with cancer?” For one thing, antibiotics can alter the good bacteria that live in your intestines. “This is a very complex study and we don’t know the bottom line yet.”

A study conducted in Finland among 10,000 women who suffered from urinary tract infections showed a 74% increase in breast cancer in women less than 50 years old. (Presumably, the infections were treated with antibiotics).

A study of 2000 women who were patients at Group Health was engaged in a long history that spanned 17 years. Group Health has had a pharmacy database in place since 1997, which is good for study. The pharmacological information is vital in order to study the use of antibiotics and a resulting increase in breast cancer. A study came out in the journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year.

These studies show that an increasing use of antibiotics and the number of prescriptions granted could make the risk of cancer higher.

Velicer posed questionS for the future: Can this study be replicated? Is it casual? Or is it the based on real problems, i.e., use of antibiotics? Study results may have implications for other forms of cancer, such as prostate cancer and colorectal cancer.

So, what does this mean for individuals? Velicer says, “Antibiotics save lives. They are usually effective when used appropriately and used exactly as prescribed. Five to ten years from now, more studies will reveal more evidence.

The conclusion of the original question of whether antibiotics are a friend or a foe: Antibiotics save lives and are effective for some conditions. Their use may increase cancer risk. They are ineffective for drug-resistant bacteria.

Velicer said her research has been funded by the Pfeiffer Foundation and the National Cancer Institute. She commented that some scientists believe that part of our problem might be that we have built an “ultra clean society. If we’d get some bugs as we grow up, we’d get some immunity.”

For her presentation, Chris Velicer was awarded a certificate donating 1220 pounds of food through Rotary First Harvest to area food banks. Thanks to Brian Evison for his introduction.

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