A study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that gall bladder removal surgery increases the risk of developing colon cancer.
Researchers studied the records of more than 55,000 men and women in the UK General Practice Research Database. They found that those who had undergone gall bladder removal surgery were more likely to develop colon cancer, but not more likely to develop rectal cancer.
Does that mean you shouldn't have your gall bladder removed?
The researchers stressed that the increased colon cancer risk shouldn't be a deciding factor when thinking about whether or not to have your gall bladder removed.So what good is this information then?
Knowing you're at increased risk for colon cancer because you've had your gall bladder removed may encourage you to do some things to try to negate the risk a bit, like eating less red meat or more fiber, or scheduling a colonoscopy. (Read more about colon cancer prevention.)This bit of knowledge about increased risk from gall bladder removal surgery is also one more piece of information you can give your husband, wife, partner, or parent who keeps putting off colorectal cancer screening. (Read more about how to get your loved one to get screened for colorectal cancer.)
Source: Shao, T. and Yang, Y. "Cholecystectomy and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer." American Journal of Gastroenterology 100.8 (Aug. 2005): 1813-1820. PubMed. 26 Aug. 2006 [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=16086719&dopt=Abstract].
