Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center analyzed three decades of Global Burden of Disease data and found substantial increases in cancer mortality tied to alcohol consumption. Annual deaths attributed to alcohol rose from 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023, according to findings published in the Lancet Regional Health in August.
The study identified links between alcohol use and elevated death rates from breast, prostate, colon, rectal, stomach, pancreatic, and liver cancers, as well as cancers affecting the head and neck. Older men experienced the most pronounced impacts, though increases were observed across most cancer types, age groups, and regions. Among males aged 55 and older, the alcohol-related cancer mortality rate increased nearly 24% during the 33-year period examined.
Research indicates that relatively modest alcohol consumption levels carry measurable cancer risk. Elevated risk has been connected to intake of 5 to 15 grams per day, which corresponds to approximately one standard drink as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Cancer Institute reported that alcohol consumption accounted for approximately 5% of cancer cases and about 4% of cancer deaths in the US in 2019.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen, placing it alongside tobacco smoke and asbestos. Among men, liver cancer showed the strongest association with alcohol consumption, followed by esophageal and colorectal cancers. For women aged 55 and older, breast cancer represented the leading alcohol-linked cancer death, followed by liver and colorectal cancers.
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