Cancer study: Antibiotics linked to dangerous polyps

PARIS, FRANCE - Long-term use of antibiotics increases the risk later in life of developing colon polyps, often a precursor of bowel cancer, researchers said Wednesday.

The findings, published in the journal Gut, boost evidence that the digestive tract's complex network of bacteria may play a key role in cancer emergence.

Earlier research has linked antibiotic use to developing bowel cancer but the potential association with these abnormal growths had not been explored.

To find out more, Andrew Chan of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston combed through health records for 16,642 women who were 60 or older in 2004.