Alcohol consumption is a major contributor to cancer across Europe, according to a new report by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research agency. Experts say stronger government measures to reduce alcohol use could prevent thousands of cancer cases and deaths each year.
Within the European Union — the region with the highest alcohol consumption globally — alcohol was responsible for over 111,000 new cancer cases in 2020, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reported. Worldwide, alcohol-related cancers reached an estimated 741,000 cases that year, with men accounting for nearly 70% of them.
The financial impact is also significant. WHO data show that premature deaths from alcohol-related cancers cost €4.58 billion in 2018.
“The WHO European Region, and especially countries of the EU, are paying too high a price for alcohol in preventable cancers and broken families, as well as costing billions to taxpayers,” said Dr. Gundo Weiler, who leads prevention and health promotion efforts at WHO’s European office. “Some call alcohol a ‘cultural heritage,’ but disease, death, and disability should not be normalised as part of European culture,” he added.
Alcohol and Cancer
Alcohol was first classified as carcinogenic by IARC in 1988. It is known to increase the risk of at least seven types of cancer, including those of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectum, and female breast.
Scientists believe alcohol contributes to cancer through several biological mechanisms — such as DNA damage from acetaldehyde (a byproduct of alcohol metabolism), oxidative stress, hormonal changes, and alterations to the gut microbiome. Reducing or quitting alcohol consumption can lower these risks.
Most alcohol-related cancers are linked to “risky” (two to six drinks per day) or “heavy” (more than six drinks per day) consumption. However, even moderate drinking — fewer than two drinks per day — caused more than 100,000 new cancer cases globally in 2020.
Preventive Strategies
This new analysis is the first from IARC to comprehensively evaluate the potential for preventing alcohol-related cancers. It confirms that population-wide policies to curb alcohol consumption are effective in lowering cancer risk.
The agency recommends a range of measures, including increasing taxes, setting minimum prices, raising the legal drinking age, limiting the density and opening hours of alcohol retailers, banning alcohol marketing, and introducing government-controlled sales systems.
According to a 2021 study, doubling alcohol excise taxes could have prevented 6% of new alcohol-related cancer cases and deaths in 2019 across the WHO European Region, which includes both Europe and Central Asia.
“Raising awareness about the cancer risks of alcohol and the fact that no level of drinking is safe is critical,” said Dr. Béatrice Lauby-Secretan, deputy head of IARC’s evidence synthesis and classification branch. “Everyone has a role to play in changing the current norms and values surrounding alcohol consumption.”
