TY - JOUR
TI - Late incidence of cancer after metronidazole use: A matched
metronidazole user/nonuser study
AU - Falagas, ME
AU - Walker, AM
AU - Jick, H
AU - Ruthazer, R
AU - Griffith, J
AU - and Snydman, DR
JO - Clinical Infectious Diseases
PY - 1998
VL - 26
TODO - 2
SP - 384-388
PB - OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
SN - 1058-4838, 1537-6591
TODO - 10.1086/516306
TODO - null
TODO - In vitro mutagenic activity and carcinogenic potential of metronidazole
in certain animals raised concerns about its possible carcinogenicity in
humans,We studied the late incidence of cancer after metronidazole use
among persons enrolled in the Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound,
Seattle, a health maintenance organization. Randomly selected nonusers
were matched on a one-to-one basis for age, gender, and year of
enrollment to persons who used metronidazole on an outpatient basis
during the period January 1975 to December 1983; 5,222 metronidazole
user/nonuser pairs, for whom the median follow-up was 12.6 years, were
analyzed. Forty-nine percent, 39.2%, 9.8%, and 2% of users had 1,
2-4, 5-9, and greater than or equal to 10 prescriptions or refills of
metronidazole filled, respectively, The late (after the first 7 years of
follow-up) incidence of cancer was nearly identical among users and
nonusers (652 and 662 per 100,000 person-years, respectively; relative
risk, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.80-1.20). Age-gender stratified
analysis did not reveal any association between metronidazole use and
cancer. These data support no association between short-term exposure to
metronidazole and cancer in humans. Although the results are reassuring,
they map not extend to subjects who have used metronidazole for
prolonged periods; further epidemiological studies should focus on these
individuals.
ER -