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. 2002 Apr 8;86(7):1081-4.
doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6600193.

Gallstones, cholecystectomy, and the risk for developing pancreatic cancer

E S Schernhammer  1 , D S Michaud, M F Leitzmann, E Giovannucci, G A Colditz, C S Fuchs
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Gallstones, cholecystectomy, and the risk for developing pancreatic cancer

E S Schernhammer et al. Br J Cancer. .
Free PMC article

Abstract

We examined the relation between gallstones, cholecystectomy, and the development of pancreatic cancer in the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Among 104,856 women and 48,928 men without cancer at baseline, we documented 349 cases of pancreatic cancer during up to 16 years of follow-up. Participants were classified according to a history of gallstones or cholecystectomy. The age-adjusted relative risk of pancreatic cancer following cholecystectomy or diagnosis of gallstones was 1.31 (95% CI, 0.93-1.83). However, adjustment for other pancreatic cancer risk factors attenuated the association (RR=1.11, 95% CI, 0.78-1.56); this risk did not increase with increasing time following cholecystectomy or gallstones. Gallstones or cholecystectomy do not appear to be significant risk factors for pancreatic cancer.

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