The aims of this paper were to describe the patients' perceived well-being, general health, symptoms and coping ability 1 year after surgery and to compare the results with the same as recorded before and 6 weeks after surgery and with those of healthy individuals. The investigation was carried out in a surgical unit at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden during 1992 and 1993. Sixty-nine patients (34 men, 35 women) with diagnoses of colorectal or gastric cancer participated in the study. Two randomly selected samples of healthy individuals were available for comparisons and were used as reference subjects. Main measurements were the Health Index (HI) and the General Health Rating Index (GHRI). The HI measured the change in well-being before and after surgery. There were few and small differences in the patients' sense of well-being 1 year after surgery compared with before. There was no significant difference between the total HI scores before and 1 year after surgery but the HI subscale scores for energy, bowel function and mobility had improved. The patients living alone rated their well-being as inferior in comparison with those who lived with relatives. Furthermore, the cancer patients perceived their well-being as inferior to that of healthy individuals. One year after surgery the patients had not returned to a state of normal health. Social and marital status apparently affected the patients' sense of well-being.