Alcohol and cancer (original) (raw)

Does Alcohol Use Affect Cancer Risk?

Current Nutrition Reports, 2019

Purpose of Review To provide an overview of the risk relationships between alcohol use and cancer and of the alcoholattributable 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. Keywords Alcohol. Acetaldehyde. Cancer. Mortality. Burden of disease. Public perception Monograph on alcohol has been updated twice to include colorectal and female breast cancers to the list of cancer sites causally affected by alcohol [2, 3]. Furthermore, the Continuous Update Project (CUP) of the World Cancer Research Fund International/American Institute for Cancer Research has found convincing evidence of an association between the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the development of cancer [4]; however, there is disagreement between the IARC's Monographs program and the CUP on which cancer sites are causally associated with alcohol consumption.

Mechanisms of alcohol-associated cancers: introduction and summary of the symposium

Alcohol, 2005

Chronic alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk for cancers of many organs, such as oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus; breast; liver; ovary; colon; rectum; stomach; and pancreas. An understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which chronic alcohol consumption promotes carcinogenesis is important for development of appropriate strategies for prevention and treatment of alcohol-associated cancers.

Alcohol, cancer, and immunomodulation

Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, 1989

I. INTRODUCTION The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimated that, in 1983 alone, the cost of alcohol-related problems amounted to $117 billion. ~ In 1985, alcohol dependency affected an estimated 10.6 million Americans. 2 Alcoholics have lower life expectancies and therefore higher mortality rates at younger ages than nonalcoholics. 3 The physiological and biochemical actions of ethanol and its metabolites on the tissues and cells of the organism can be separated into three categories. The first consists of the direct and indirect consequences of ethanol metabolism, which are seen at very low ethanol concentrations. The second category includes the pharmacological actions of alcohol. These are much less specific and are independent of the metabolism of ethanol itself. They become manifest only at high concentrations and are indeed similar to the actions of a large number of substances, chemically only remotely related to ethanol. The third category consists of ethanol and its metabolites, as well as significant calorie substitution with attendant reductions in vitamin or mineral intakes. All can cause changes in immune functions. We review these three components of the effects of alcohol on cancer incidence. Compared with other psychoactive drugs, the ethanol molecule is very small. As it passes through the individual cell membranes, the alcohol molecule affects the stabilization of the membrane. Inside the cell, the molecule also affects the permeability of the membrane and its transport mechanisms. In the cytoplasm, changes are effected in the intracellular enzyme systems, the mitochondrion, and the endoplasmic reticulum. All of these cell components are affected during the carcinogenic process. The subject of alcohol-associated cancer has been extensively reviewed. 4-8 Alcohol consumption may influence carcinogenesis in several ways. An example of this might be alcohol-induced tumor promotion, which may occur via the immunosuppressive effects of alcohol.

Alcohol Consumption and the Risk of Cancer

pubs.niaaa.nih.gov

Alcohol consumption has been linked to an increased risk for various types of cancer. A combined analysis of more than 200 studies assessing the link between alcohol and various types of cancer (i.e., a meta-analysis) sought to investigate this association in more detail. This meta analysis found that alcohol most strongly increased the risks for cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, and larynx. Statistically significant increases in risk also existed for cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, female breast, and ovaries. Several mechanisms have been postulated through which alcohol may contribute to an increased risk of cancer. Concurrent tobacco use, which is common among drinkers, enhances alcohol's effects on the risk for cancers of the upper digestive and respiratory tract. The analysis did not identify a threshold level of alcohol consumption below which no increased risk for cancer was evident. KEY WORDS: AOD (alcohol or other drug) consumption; chronic AODE (effects of AOD use, abuse, and dependence); cancer; carcinogenesis; oral disorder; esophageal disorder; dose-response relationship; gender differences; tobacco in any form; distilled alcoholic beverage; drug concentration; risk analysis; meta-analysis

Alcohol consumption and cancer risk

Nutrition and cancer, 2011

This review focuses on selected aspects of the relation between alcohol consumption and cancer risk. Heavy alcohol consumption (i.e., ≥4 drinks/day) is significantly associated with an increased risk of about 5-fold for oral and pharyngeal cancer and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, 2.5-fold for laryngeal cancer, 50% for colorectal and breast cancers, and 30% for pancreatic cancer. These estimates are based on a large number of epidemiological studies and are generally consistent across strata of several covariates. The evidence suggests that at low doses of alcohol consumption (i.e., ≤1 drink/day) the risk is also increased by about 20% for oral and pharyngeal cancer and 30% for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Thus, for these sites there is little evidence of a threshold effect. While consumption of fewer than 3 alcoholic drinks/wk is not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, an intake of 3 to 6 drinks/wk might already yield a (small) increase in risk. On the o...

Alcohol consumption and risk of cancer: a systematic literature review

Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP, 2013

This study aimed to discuss the consumption of alcohol as a risk factor for major cancers. We performed a search in the PubMed database, using the following inclusion criteria: meta-analysis published in English in the last 10 years that addressed the relationship between alcohol and the risk of developing cancer. The results indicate that moderate to heavy consumption of alcohol increases the risk of developing cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, stomach, larynx, colorectum, central nervous system, pancreas, breast and prostate. This review did not find any association between alcohol consumption and an increased risk of cancers of the lung, bladder, endometrium and ovary. It was also observed that alcohol consumption may be inversely related to thyroid cancer. Our systematic review has confirmed consumption of alcohol as a risk factor for the development of several types of cancer.