[Gallbladder cancer mortality in Chile and its relation to cholecystectomy rates. An analysis of the last decade].

Extrahepatic biliary tract cancer (mainly gallbladder cancer) mortality rates have increased from 7.84 x 100.000 to 9.6 x 100.000 in Chile during the last decade. The most significant risk factor for gallbladder cancer is gallstone disease. However, no apparent changes in the prevalence of gallstone disease has occurred during this period. In contrast, cholecystectomy rates have consistently decreased during the decade. The aim of this study was to correlate extrahepatic biliary tract cancer mortality and cholecystectomy rates of previous years during the last decade in our country. The best correlation coefficient between both variables was obtained when mortality was correlated with cholecystectomy rates two years prior to the mortality rate (r = -0.92). This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that changes in the number of cholecystectomies performed in a specific geographic area would reciprocally change gallbladder cancer mortality rate. It was estimated that increasing cholecystectomies by 12,500 per year would decrease at mortality rate from this cancer by approximately 1.0 x 100.000 two years in Chile.