RISK OF CANCER FOLLOWING PARTIAL GASTRECTOMY FOR BENIGN ULCER DISEASE

The relative risk of developing cancer after partial gastrectomy for b enign ulcer disease, expressed as the standardized incidence ratio, wa s examined in a population-based cohort comprising 6459 patients opera ted on between 1950 and 1958. Follow-up to 1983 revealed 1112 patients with cancer versus 1128 expected cases (relative risk 1.0 (95 per cen t confidence interval (c.i.) 0.9-1.1)). The overall risk increased ove r time; it was higher in younger than in older patients but was not re lated to sex, surgical procedure (Billroth I or II gastrectomy) or dia gnosis at operation (duodenal or stomach ulcer). There was an increase d risk for lung cancer (relative risk 1.5 (95 per cent c.i. 1.2-1.7)), for oesophageal cancer in patients operated on for stomach ulcer (rel ative risk 2.2 (95 per cent c.i. 1.0-4.2)) and for cancer of the bilia ry tract in men (relative risk 1.9 (95 per cent c.i. 1.2-2.9)) and in those operated on for duodenal ulcer (relative risk 1.7 (95 per cent c .i. 1.0-2.8)). The overall risk for genital cancer in women was unchan ged but decreased with increasing duration of follow-up and age. Cance rs of the nervous system occurred less frequently than expected (relat ive risk 0.5 (95 per cent c.i. 0.3-0.8)), while the risk for cancer of the buccal cavity, lymphatic and haematopoietic systems, pancreas, br east, prostate, kidney and bladder was unchanged.