In this study, the existence of an association between gallstones and gastric cancer was established with a view to assessing the possibility of primary and secondary prevention of gastric cancer. A case-control study was carried out on 209 patients who had undergone surgery for gastric cancer and 209 patients who had been operated on for benign diseases. The patients were matched according to sex, age and region of origin. The results confirmed the existence of a significant association between concomitant gallstones and gastric cancer; above all in the antropyloric region (odds ratio = 2.83), in particular in female patients (odds ratio = 3) and in patients over the age of 65 (odds ratio = 2.54). Analysis involving only the antropyloric region revealed a 5.33 times higher risk in association with gallstones than in controls. No significant differences were observed with regard to the incidence of previous cholecystectomy. The study, while unable to furnish any explanation for the nature of this association, leads us to suppose that it could be of advantage in the prevention – secondary prevention in particular – of gastric cancer. In fact, it allows the identification of a selected cross-section of gallstone patients at high risk of gastric cancer. By means of noninvasive examinations such as biliary ultrasonography, such patients can easily be singled out and subjected to tests aiming at the diagnosis of gastric cancer even at quite an early stage.

Keywords:
Gastric cancer, prevention, Gallstones, screening
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© 1988 S. Karger AG, Basel
1988
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