A study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) provides evidence that use of antibiotics is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. The authors concluded that the more antibiotics the women in the study used, the higher their risk of breast cancer.

The results of this study do not mean that antibiotics cause breast cancer. They only show that there is an association between the two. Additional studies must be conducted to determine whether there is a direct cause-and-effect relationship.  Read more  

The continuing expansion and development of information delivery systems has given people access to cancer information from numerous sources, each varying substantially in quality and reliability. We know that people's prior knowledge, beliefs, and experiences influence the way they interpret and use health information and that America's increasing cultural diversity challenges health communication activities. Yet, until now, we've known little about how people seek cancer information or how to bridge the substantial gaps between the information they want and need, and what they receive.

Today, NCI unveils the first dataset from our Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). The first survey of its kind, HINTS collects nationally representative data on the American public's need for, access to, and use of cancer information. The data identify changing communication trends and practices; provide updates on changing information patterns, needs, and opportunities; assess cancer information access and usage; and provide insight about how cancer risks are perceived. The survey began in 2001 and is conducted every two years.  Read more  

This NCI Cancer Bulletin is produced by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). NCI, which was established in 1937, leads a national effort to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer. Through basic and clinical biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports research that will lead to a future in which we can prevent cancer before it starts, identify cancers that do develop at the earliest stage, eliminate cancers through innovative treatment interventions, and biologically control those cancers that we cannot eliminate so they become manageable, chronic diseases. For more information on cancer, call 1-800-4-CANCER or visit http://www.cancer.gov. NCI Cancer Bulletin staff can be reached at ncicancerbulletin@mail.nih.gov.