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Metronidazole is mutagenic in some in vitro assays, and limited studies find that prolonged exposure to high doses increases cancer risk in some animals. This recently completed study may partly allay concerns about cancer risks in humans treated with this antibiotic.
Five thousand two hundred twenty-two individuals from a single large HMO who received metronidazole between 1975 and 1983 were identified and compared for the development of cancer with a matched cohort who had not received it. The median period of follow-up was 12.6 years. Users received mostly one (49%) or two to four (39.2%) metronidazole prescriptions during the study period; only 2% of users received more than 10 prescriptions. No difference in the incidence of "all-site" …