TOTAL HIP-REPLACEMENT AND CANCER - A COHORT STUDY

The incidence of cancer after hip replacement was studied in the 1.6 m illion inhabitants of Stockholm County, Sweden. A cohort of 10 785 ind ividuals who had had hip replacement between 1974 and 1988 was followe d from the date of operation to the first malignant tumour, to death, or to the end of 1989. The follow-up was based on 58 437 person-years at risk as calculated from information obtained by record-linkage with the National Cancer Registry and the National Cause-of-Death Register . The Standardised Morbidity Ratio (SMR) for all cancer sites, disrega rding the length of follow-up, was 0.96 (95% CI 0.90 to 1.03), For lym phoma and leukaemia the corresponding SMR was 0.89 (0.68 to 1.14). Our results do not support previous suggestions of an increased incidence of leukaemia and lymphoma after total hip replacement.