Cancers, Vol. 13, Pages 4367: Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Use and Disease Progression in Early-Stage Melanoma Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Cancers, Vol. 13, Pages 4367: Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Use and Disease Progression in Early-Stage Melanoma Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study Cancers doi: 10.3390/cancers13174367 Authors: Mahip Acharya Thomas Kim Chenghui Li Animal studies and a few clinical studies have reported mixed findings on the association between antibiotics and cancer incidence. Antibiotics may inhibit tumor cell growth, but could also alter the gut-microbiome-modulated immune system and increase the risk of cancer. Studies that assess how antibiotics affect the progression of cancer are limited. We evaluated the association between broad-spectrum antibiotic use and melanoma progression. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus data (2008–2018). We identified patients with malignant melanoma who underwent wide local excision or Mohs micrographic surgery within 90 days of first diagnosis. Surgery date was the index date. Patients were excluded if they had any other cancer diagnosis or autoimmune disorders in 1 year before the index date (“baseline”). Exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics was identified in three time windows using three cohorts: 3 months prior to the index date, 1 month after the index date, and 3 months after the index date. The covariates were patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics identified in the 1-year baseline period. The patients were followed from the index date until cancer progression, loss of enrollment, ...
Source: Cancers - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research