Table 4 Analysis of antibiotics after diagnosis and breast cancer-specific mortality in England and Wales and pooled

From: Antibiotic use and survival from breast cancer: A population-based cohort study in England and Wales

Exposure

England

Wales

P for heterob

Pooled adjusteda

HR (95% CI)

P

P-years

Events

Unadjusted

HR (95% CI)

Adjusteda

HR (95% CI)

P-years

Events

Unadjusted

HR (95% CI)

Adjusteda

HR (95% CI)

Antibiotics

None

69,935

822

1.00 (ref. cat.)

1.00 (ref. cat.)

36,194

692

1.00 (ref. cat.)

1.00 (ref. cat.)

 

1.00 (ref. cat.)

 

1+ prescriptions

123,282

1673

1.45 (1.33, 1.59)

1.19 (1.08, 1.31)

94,145

1390

1.01 (0.91, 1.12)

0.96 (0.86, 1.07)

0.004

1.07 (0.87, 1.33)

0.521

1–5 prescriptions

92,692

1243

1.38 (1.26, 1.52)

1.15 (1.05, 1.27)

63,076

939

0.95 (0.86, 1.06)

0.93 (0.83, 1.04)

0.005

1.04 (0.84, 1.28)

0.749

6-11 prescriptions

20,191

276

1.86 (1.60, 2.17)

1.39 (1.19, 1.62)

18,843

258

1.19 (1.01, 1.39)

1.05 (0.88, 1.25)

0.018

1.21 (0.92, 1.59)

0.173

12+ prescriptions

10,399

154

2.43 (2.00, 2.95)

1.81 (1.48, 2.20)

12,226

193

1.70 (1.41, 2.05)

1.45 (1.19, 1.78)

0.127

1.62 (1.31, 2.01)

<0.001

Penicillin

96,532

1341

1.52 (1.38, 1.67)

1.22 (1.11, 1.35)

76,618

1123

1.02 (0.92, 1.14)

0.97 (0.86, 1.09)

0.002

1.09 (0.87, 1.37)

0.464

Cephalosporin

13,347

200

1.88 (1.60, 2.22)

1.31 (1.10, 1.55)

15,325

244

1.28 (1.10, 1.50)

1.06 (0.89, 1.25)

0.084

1.18 (0.96, 1.45)

0.126

Tetracyclines

20,324

255

1.51 (1.30, 1.76)

1.28 (1.10, 1.50)

17,990

237

1.06 (0.90, 1.24)

1.03 (0.86, 1.23)

0.066

1.15 (0.93, 1.43)

0.198

Macrolides

27,063

362

1.55 (1.36, 1.77)

1.26 (1.10, 1.45)

25,026

373

1.14 (1.00, 1.31)

1.04 (0.89, 1.21)

0.059

1.15 (0.95, 1.39)

0.158

Clindamycin

1141

22

2.15 (1.40, 3.29)

1.69 (1.10, 2.59)

958

18

1.43 (0.89, 2.29)

1.22 (0.76, 1.96)

0.319

1.46 (1.06, 2.01)

0.020

Sulphonamides

163

0–55

3.44 (1.42, 8.29)

2.39 (0.99, 5.77)

225

0–55

0.72 (0.18, 2.88)

1.02 (0.25, 4.12)

0.315

1.87 (0.88, 3.96)

0.103

Trimethoprim

31,057

395

1.54 (1.35, 1.76)

1.20 (1.05, 1.37)

30,542

425

1.07 (0.94, 1.23)

1.03 (0.89, 1.19)

0.128

1.11 (0.95, 1.29)

0.177

Metronidazole3

9187

123

1.63 (1.34, 1.99)

1.33 (1.09, 1.63)

8542

141

1.30 (1.08, 1.58)

1.24 (1.01, 1.51)

0.601

1.28 (1.11, 1.48)

<0.001

Quinolones

8181

129

1.97 (1.62, 2.39)

1.31 (1.07, 1.60)

8219

137

1.31 (1.08, 1.59)

1.08 (0.88, 1.32)

0.179

1.19 (0.98, 1.44)

0.075

Nitrofurantoin4

24,685

299

1.39 (1.21, 1.60)

1.20 (1.04, 1.39)

13,628

192

1.11 (0.93, 1.31)

1.23 (1.02, 1.49)

0.806

1.21 (1.08, 1.36)

0.001

Other antibiotics

512

10

2.27 (1.21, 4.24)

1.57 (0.84, 2.94)

237

6

1.90 (0.85, 4.25)

1.50 (0.62, 3.62)

0.930

1.55 (0.93, 2.58)

0.095

  1. aAdjusted model contains age at diagnosis, year of diagnosis, deprivation, stage, grade, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, tamoxifen use (in year after diagnosis), aromatase inhibitor use (in year after diagnosis), Charlson comorbidities (before diagnosis), hormone replacement therapy (before diagnosis) and statin, aspirin, and metformin use (after diagnosis) and is based upon a complete case analysis.
  2. bP-value for heterogeneity comparing adjusted hazard ratios for England and Wales. 3Metronidazole and tinidazole. 4Nitrofurantoin and methenamine.5Range used to preserve disclosure control.
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