Background & objectives: A high incidence of gallbladder cancer (GBC) is observed in northern India. This study was aimed to identify the factors involved in developing GBC in this region.
Methods: A gallstones-matched, case-control study was conducted in northern India. Ninety nine patients with GBC and gallstones (33 men and 66 women, mean age of 51.4 yr) comprised the case group, while 99 patients with cholelithiasis (40 men and 59 women, mean age of 45.7 yr) comprised the control group. All participants were interviewed to complete 183 questionnaire items that included 105 food items. Potential risk factors were identified using a multivariate analysis adjusted for age and sex. Significant risk factors were identified using a stepwise logistic-regression analysis.
Results: Age (≥50 yr), education (illiterate), socioeconomic status (≤below poverty line), bowel habits (≤once a day), hypertension history, hypotensive drug use, non-vegetarian diet, use of firewood for cooking, tap water drinking, hand pump water drinking and high consumption of coffee and sweets were identified as the potential risk factors. In women, factors included menarche (<13 yr), number of pregnancies (≥3 pregnancies) and parity (≥3 babies). Of these factors, age, education, bowel habits, tap water drinking and multiple pregnancy and/or multiparity were identified as significant risk factors, whereas a high consumption of coffee and sweets or hypotensive drug use and/or hypertension history were protective factors.
Interpretation & conclusions: Poor bowel habits and drinking unsafe water appear to be the main risk factors for developing GBC. These are, however, modifiable factors which are capable of decreasing the risk of GBC in the north Indian population.
Keywords: Gallbladder cancer; India; multivariate analysis; questionnaires; risk factor; stepwise procedure.