Gastric cancer after gastrectomy.

Inhabitants of Iceland who had undergone gastric resection for non-malignant diseases between 1930 and 1974 were identified and followed up at the Icelandic Cancer Registry in order to evaluate the risk of gastric cancer subsequent to gastric resection. There were 1,214 males and 581 females, contributing 30,792 person/years. The results show an overall 1.16-fold, not significant, increase in the relative risk for gastric cancer. In the first 15 years after operation the risk was decreased, 0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24-0.90, but from 15 years or more following operation, the risk was 2.17, 95% CI 1.46-3.10. We conclude that for these subjects the risk is not significantly increased. Patients surviving 15 years or more after operation have an increased risk (p less than 0.001), but they do not contribute substantially to the number of gastric cancer patients in Iceland.