Researchers at the University of Miami found that alcohol-linked cancer deaths in the United States more than doubled from about 11,000 in 1990 to more than 23,000 in 2023.
The study found the impact extends beyond liver cancer, with growing numbers of deaths tied to colorectal, breast, pancreatic and esophageal cancers.
“The most surprising finding was the breadth of alcohol’s potential impact across cancer types,” said Dr. Chinmay Jani, corresponding author of the study. “Although its relationship with liver cancer is widely recognized, its contribution to cancers such as colorectal, esophageal, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancer is less well understood by the public.”
Researchers said the findings highlight alcohol as a major and potentially preventable cancer risk factor.
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“What this study makes clear is that alcohol-related cancer risk is not limited to one disease or one group of people,” Dr. Gilberto Lopes, chief author of the study, said. “As physicians and cancer researchers, we have an opportunity to help patients understand that alcohol is a modifiable risk factor and that even small, informed changes can be part of a broader strategy to reduce cancer risk in our community.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol can disrupt cell cycles, increase chronic inflammation, and damage DNA. The CDC says that DNA is the cell's "instruction manual" that controls how a cell grows and does its job, and when damaged, a cell can grow out of control and become cancer.
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The CDC estimates that 20,000 people a year die from alcohol-related cancers.
