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Does Alcohol Use Affect Cancer Risk?

  • Cancer (MF Leitzmann, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

To provide an overview of the risk relationships between alcohol use and cancer and of the alcohol-attributable cancer burden; to highlight areas of controversy in the alcohol–cancer relationship; to examine the reasons why these risk relationships have not received greater public attention.

Recent Findings

In 2016, alcohol caused an estimated 376,200 cancer deaths, 10.0 million cancer years of life lost (YLLs), 236,600 cancer years lived with disability (YLDs), and 10.3 million cancer disability-adjusted years of life (DALYs), representing 4.2%, 4.2%, 4.6%, and 4.2% of all deaths, YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs lost due to cancer, respectively, proportionally highest in high- and upper–middle–income countries.

Summary

Alcohol use is a major contributor to cancer and is linked to the most prevalent types of cancer. No threshold for the effects of alcohol on cancer has yet been identified, and thus, abstinence is best for cancer prevention. Greater public awareness of the relationship between alcohol use and cancer is advisable.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Room T420, 33 Russell Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2S1, Canada

    Jürgen Rehm & Kevin D. Shield

  2. Institute of Medical Science (IMS), University of Toronto, Room 2374, 1 King’s College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada

    Jürgen Rehm

  3. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 6th Floor, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada

    Jürgen Rehm & Kevin D. Shield

  4. WHO Collaboration Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2S1, Canada

    Jürgen Rehm & Kevin D. Shield

  5. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 8th Floor, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada

    Jürgen Rehm

  6. Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, CAMH, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada

    Jürgen Rehm

  7. Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, TU Dresden, Chemnitzer Str. 46, 01187, Dresden, Germany

    Jürgen Rehm

  8. Section of Cancer Surveillance, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372, Lyon Cedex, France

    Isabelle Soerjomataram

  9. World Health Organization, WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Office), 9 Leontyevsky Pereulok, Moscow, Russian Federation, 125009

    Carina Ferreira-Borges

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  1. Jürgen Rehm
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  3. Carina Ferreira-Borges
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  4. Kevin D. Shield
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Correspondence to Jürgen Rehm.

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Jürgen Rehm, Isabelle Soerjomataram, Carina Ferreira-Borges, and Kevin D. Shield declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Rehm, J., Soerjomataram, I., Ferreira-Borges, C. et al. Does Alcohol Use Affect Cancer Risk?. Curr Nutr Rep 8, 222–229 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-019-0267-0

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