Alcohol consumption linked to 6 types of cancer: Report

The report noted that 40% of all cancer cases are associated with "modifiable risk factors"

A new study has revealed that drinking alcohol is linked to six types of cancer, more than 5% of all cancer cases. The 2024 Cancer Progress Report by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) highlighted that alcohol is the third risk factor for cancer after obesity and cigarette smoking.

The report noted that 40% of all cancer cases are associated with "modifiable risk factors", which means that these risk factors can be prevented very easily if we change our lifestyle. Alcohol consumption is prominent among them.

The six types of cancer that are linked to alcohol intake include:

• Head and neck cancers
• Oesophageal cancer
• Liver cancer
• Breast cancer
• Colorectal/colon cancer
• Stomach cancer

Researchers estimate that exposure to certain cancer risk factors early has become more prevalent in recent decades.

This includes diets rich in highly processed foods, alcohol, tobacco, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, environmental carcinogens, and an unfavourable microbiome, that are playing a role in the increased incidence of early-onset cancers.

"Accordingly, it is critical for each country and region to conduct studies to understand the etiologies of early-onset cancers, and to tailor public health strategies based on the local characteristics and burden of early-onset cancers," as per the report.