Decreased prevalence of gallstones in gastric cancer.

The prevalence of gallstones and the frequency of previously performed cholecystectomy were examined in 498 autopsy subjects who had gastric cancer and their age- and sex-matched control subjects. The frequency of gallstones not treated by operation and previous cholecystectomy was significantly (p less than 0.01) lower in those with gastric cancer than in the matched-control subjects. It is not possible to determine on the basis of this study what the possible factors that cause this phenomenon are.