Cholecystectomy and carcinoma of the colon.

After cholecystectomy the concentration of secondary bile acids in the bile increases. These bile acids have been incriminated in the pathogenesis of carcinoma of the colon. Hence the hypothesis that cholecystectomy predisposes to the development of carcinoma of the colon. To test this hypothesis, 1681 residents of Rochester, Minnesota (460 males and 1221 females), who underwent cholecystectomy during 1950-69, were followed up. Carcinoma of the colon developed in a higher-than-expected number of patients. However, the association was significant only in females (relative risk 1.7; 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.5) and even stronger for right-sided carcinoma of the colon (relative risk 2.1; 95% confidence interval 1.1-3.6). These data support the hypothesis that cholecystectomy may be a predisposing factor in the development of cancer of the colon in women.