Meta-analysisindependent cross-checkabstract checked I-ABX-125 standard review
Antibiotic use and breast cancer: weak, uncertain link
Is antibiotic use a risk factor for breast cancer? A meta-analysis.
Overview
Sergentanis TN et al.. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2010 · PMID 20845408 · DOI 10.1002/pds.1986
Pooling 5 studies gave a slightly raised but not statistically significant risk.
Does the study support the specific claim? Unclear · Methodological quality: moderate
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Pool studies on antibiotics and breast cancer
- How was the study done?
Meta-analysis
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
5 studies
- What was actually found?
Slight, uncertain association
- How large was the observed effect?
OR 1.175 (0.994-1.387)
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
No clear risk
- What are the study's limitations?
Few studies
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Neither confirms nor refutes
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Moderate
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Cause and effect
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- Sergentanis TN et al.
- Journal
- Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf
- Year
- 2010
- Identifier
- PMID 20845408 DOI 10.1002/pds.1986
- Verification
- verified – PubMed efetch 2026-10-26 + Crossref
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
Not stated in abstract.
2. Research question
Is antibiotic use associated with breast cancer risk?
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Meta-analysis – Meta-analysis of case-control studies
- Population
Women
- Country
Multinational
- Period
Searches to July 2009
- Sample size
5 case-control studies; 13,069 cases, 73,920 controls
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Case-control studies of ever-use
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Antibiotic ever-use
- Comparator
Never-use
- Endpoints
Breast cancer
- Statistical methods
Random-effects OR; meta-regression
5. Actual results
- Results
Pooled OR 1.175 (95% CI 0.994-1.387); no publication bias; borderline dose-response with number of prescriptions.
- Absolute risks
not reported
- Authors' conclusion
Antibiotic use seems associated with slightly elevated risk; the nature (causal or confounding) remains elusive.
6. Strengths
- Pooled data
7. Weaknesses
- Only 5 case-control studies
- CI includes 1
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- AMSTAR 2
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- some concerns
- Rationale
Small evidence base.
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
Borderline, non-significant pooled estimate.
10. Relevance to the specific claim
Pooled evidence for the association is weak.
11. Independent contrary findings
Not conclusive either way.
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
Moderate.
13. Overall methodological judgement
At most a weak association of uncertain nature.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | moderate |
| Risk of bias | some concerns |
| Precision of results | low |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | partly replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | inconsistent |
| Regional transferability | moderate |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
Causality.
15. Linked fact checks
- Antibiotic use is associated with breast cancer (archive bibliography). – Studies with mixed or unclear results