Abstract
A case-control study of 598 patients with colorectal cancer (296 men, 302 women) admitted from January 1974 to October 1983 was undertaken. Patients were matched for age and sex, with controls admitted for unrelated conditions. All information was obtained from the hospital records. In men, there was no evidence of an increased risk of colonic cancer after cholecystectomy relative to men without cholecystectomy. There was some evidence of an increased risk in women (relative risk= 1.7; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.0 to 3.1) and this was highest when the tumor was in the right colon (P<0.005). This study confirms previous observations that cholecystectomy leads to an increased risk of right-sided colonic tumors in women but not in men. The apparent difference between the sexes may be explained by the low rate of cholecystectomy in the men examined.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Malagelada JR, Go VL, Summerskill WH, Gamble WS. Bile acid secretion and biliary bile acid composition altered by cholecystectomy. Am J Dig Dis 1973;18:455–9.
Hepner GW, Hofmann AF, Malagelada JR, Szczepanik PA, Klein PD. Increased bacterial degradation of bile acids in cholecystectomized patients. Gastroenterology 1974;66:556–64.
Pomare EW, Heaton KW. The effect of cholecystectomy on bile salt metabolism. Gut 1973;14:753–62.
Almond HR, Vlahcevic ZR, Bell CC, Gregory DH, Swell L. Bile acid pools, kinetics and biliary lipid composition before and after cholecystectomy. N Engl J Med 1973;289:1213–6.
Cohen BI, Raicht RF. Effects of bile acids on colon carcinogenesis in rats treated with carcinogens. Cancer Res 1981;41:3759–60.
Reddy BS, Watanabe K, Weisburger JH, Wynder EL. Promoting effect of bile acids in colon carcinogenesis in germ-free and conventional F344 rats. Cancer Res 1977;37:3238–42.
Domellof L, Darby L, Hanson D, Mathews L, Simi B, Reddy BS. Fecal sterols and bacterial beta-glucuronidase activity: a preliminary metabolic epidemiologic study of healthy volunteers from Umea, Sweden, and metropolitan New York. Nutr Cancer 1982;4:120–7.
Reddy BS, Wynder EL. Metabolic epidemiology of colon cancer: fecal bile acids and neutral sterols in colon cancer patients and patients with adenomatous polyps. Cancer 1977;39:2533–9.
Turnbull PR, Smith AH, Isbister WH. Cholecystectomy and cancer of the large bowel. Br J Surg 1981;68:551–3.
Turunen MJ, Kivilaakso EO. Increased risk of colorectal cancer after cholecystectomy. Ann Surg 1981;194:639–41.
Vernick LJ, Kuller LH. Cholecystectomy and right-sided colon cancer: an epidemiological study. Lancet 1981;2:381–3.
Linos DA, Beard CM, O'Fallon WM, Dockerty MB, Beart RW Jr, Kurland LT. Cholecystectomy and carcinoma of the colon. Lancet 1981;2:379–81.
Hoare AM. Carcinoma of the colon and cholecystectomy. Lancet 1974;2:1395–6.
Vobecky J, Caro J, Devroede G. A case-control study of risk factors for large bowel carcinoma. Cancer 1983;51:1958–63.
Weiss NS, Daling JR, Chow WH. Cholecystectomy and the incidence of cancer of the large bowel. Cancer 1982;49:1713–5.
Abrams JS, Anton JR, Dreyfuss DC. The absence of a relationship between cholecystectomy and the subsequent occurrence of cancer of the proximal colon. Dis Colon Rectum 1983;26:141–4.
Blanco D, Ross RK, Paganini-Hill A, Henderson BE. Cholecystectomy and colonic cancer. Dis Colon Rectum 1984;27:290–2.
Adami H-O, Meirik O, Gustavsson S, Nyren O, Krusemo U-B, Colorectal cancer after cholecystectomy: absence of risk increase within 11–14 years. Gastroenterology 1983;85:859–65.
Doouss TW, Castleden WM. Gallstones and carcinoma of the large bowel. NZ Med J 1973;77:162–5.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Moorfhead, R.J., Kernohan, R.M., Patterson, C.C. et al. Does cholecystectomy predispose to colorectal cancer?. Dis Colon Rectum 29, 36–38 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02555285
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02555285