Study highlights deep links between alcohol, cancer

NEW YORK:Adults under age 50 have been developing breast cancer and colorectal cancer at increasingly higher rates over the last few decades, and alcohol use may be one factor driving the trend, according to a scientific report published on Wednesday.

The report, by the American Association for Cancer Research, highlights scientific breakthroughs that have led to new anticancer drugs and improved overall survival.

But the authors also described a troubling pattern: Even as cancer death rates have declined, the overall incidence of several cancers has been rising inexplicably, with an especially alarming increase among younger adults in cancers of the gastrointestinal system, like colorectal cancer.

The report estimates that 40 percent of all cancer cases are associated with modifiable risk factors. It recommends reducing alcohol consumption, along with making lifestyle changes such as avoiding tobacco, maintaining a healthy diet and weight, exercising, avoiding ultraviolet radiation and minimizing exposure to pollutants.

The authors called for raising awareness through public messaging campaigns and adding cancer-specific warning labels to alcoholic beverages.

The recommendations come amid a radical rethinking of the putative health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, which for years was considered to be protective against heart disease.

Just last month, a large study that followed more than 135,000 older British adults for over a decade found that moderate and light drinkers did not benefit from a reduction in heart disease when compared with occasional drinkers.And both moderate and light drinkers experienced more cancer deaths than occasional drinkers, a finding accentuated among low-income seniors and those with existing health problems.

“Fifty-one percent of people — or more than half — do not know that alcohol increases your risk of cancer” said Jane Figueiredo, an epidemiologist at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles who served on the steering committee that prepared the report. “That’s concerning.”“We can talk about the myth that red wine has potential cardiovascular benefits, but there are many ways to keep your heart healthy, and these potential benefits don’t really outweigh your cancer risks,” she said. Excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk for six types of malignancies, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and certain types of head, neck, breast, colorectal, liver and stomach cancers, the report found. Some 5.4 percent of cancers in the United States — just over one in 20 cancer diagnoses — were attributed to alcohol consumption in 2019, the most recent year for which data is available.