Study details and key findings

For the study, researchers analyzed 18 modifiable risk factors across 30 types of cancer. The risk factors included cigarette smoking, excess body weight, alcohol consumption, dietary factors, physical inactivity, ultraviolet radiation, and more.

Overall, the researchers found that modifiable risk factors contributed to over half of new cancer cases for 19 of the 30 cancers studied. In 2019, these risk factors were associated with over 700,000 new cancer cases and more than 262,000 deaths.

Cigarette smoking was the biggest risk factor for cancer and was associated with around 19% of cancer cases. Excess body weight was the second biggest risk factor, with around 7.6% of cancer cases attributed to it.

Alcohol consumption was associated with 5% of cancer cases. In one year, there were around 95,000 cases and 24,000 deaths attributed to alcohol consumption. Alcohol was associated with seven different cancers: oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, colorectum, female breast, squamous cell carcinoma in the esophagus, and hepatocellular carcinoma in the liver.

According to the study, breast cancer had the most cases attributable to alcohol. Around 44,000 breast cancer cases, or 16% of all cases, in 2019 were associated with alcohol. Around 18,000 cases, or 13%, of colorectal cancers were also associated with alcohol consumption.

In addition, Farhad Islami, senior scientific director of cancer disparity research at ACS and the study's lead author, said that "there is accumulating evidence" that alcohol can also cause other cancers, such as pancreatic cancer.

"The increased risk is because of the alcohol in alcoholic beverages, not the type of beverage," Islami said.

Commentary

According to STAT, the findings about alcohol and cancer cases may be surprising to the public since there is generally low awareness about the association. For example, a national survey of U.S. adults in 2020 found that less than a third of respondents knew that alcohol increased cancer risk. Around 10% also said they believed drinking wine could decrease their risk of cancer.

Although prior research suggests that the more alcohol a person consumes, the higher their risk of cancer, recent studies suggest that even relatively low amounts of drinking could increase a person's risk.

In a recent CDC study, researchers found that 17% of cancer deaths were attributable to low levels of alcohol consumption, which were less than the national dietary guidelines' recommended limit. Currently, guidelines recommend no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.

However, reducing your level of drinking can also reduce your risk of related cancers. According to Islami, if every person in the United States who drinks alcohol stayed within the dietary guidelines, "about 80% of all alcohol-related cancer deaths could be prevented."

Overall, Arif Kamal, chief patient officer at ACS, said the study's findings show that there "are things that people can practically change how they live every single day to reduce their risk of cancer."

"Cancer is something your body fights every single day as your cells divide," Kamal said. "It's a risk that you face every day, and that also means that the reduction of the risks can benefit you every day as well."

Advisory Board's oncology resources

For more insights on oncology, check out these Advisory Board resources:

Growth in demand and costs, as well new technologies and disruptors, will change how cancer care is delivered, experienced, and paid for in the future. This resource outlines our four predictions for how the cancer care delivery landscape will evolve by 2030.

Separately, this expert insight explains three strategies organizations can use to leverage oncology pharmacists and improve cancer care. Similarly, these ready-to-use slides outline the major structural shifts impacting cancer care, as well as the strategic decisions that oncology leaders will need to make.

You can search through our oncology topic to see more related resources, including service line outlooks, case studies, and more. (Cueto, STAT, 7/11; McPhillips, CNN, 7/11; Islami et al., CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 7/11)