One in 10 cancers in men and one in 33 in women are caused by drinking

One in 10 cancers in men and one in 33 in women are caused by drinking

  • The projected number of new cases of alcohol-related cancers in the Republic of Ireland is expected to double by the year 2020 for women and to increase by 81% for men during the same period (Source) 

  • Because alcohol consumption is higher among poorer people, their risk for alcohol-related cancers is also higher (Source) 

  • The National Cancer Registry has noted the correlation between higher incidence of head and neck cancers and lung cancer among males in the Republic of Ireland living in socio- economically deprived areas and the corresponding higher rates of alcohol consumption and tobacco use in these areas (Source)  

  • Alcohol is classified as a group 1 carcinogen and it is one of the most important causes of cancer in Ireland, being a risk factor in seven types of cancer

  • Cancers of the mouth, upper throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver, bowel and female breast have a causal relationship to alcohol consumption

  • The National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) conducted research in 2012 to calculate Ireland’s overall cancer incidence and mortality attributable to alcohol consumption and found that approximately 5% of newly diagnosed cancers and cancer deaths are attributable to alcohol – that’s around 900 cases and 500 deaths each year

  • There is a risk relationship between the amount a woman drinks, and the likelihood of her developing the most common type of breast cancer. Drinking one standard alcoholic drink a day is associated with a 9% increase in the risk of developing breast cancer, while drinking 3-6 standard drinks a day increases the risk by 41%

  • It is estimated that up to 20% of breast cancer cases in the UK can be attributed to alcohol

  • Three people in Ireland die from oral and pharyngeal cancer (OPC) every week – which is more than skin melanoma or cervical cancer. Two major risk factors for OPC are tobacco and alcohol consumption

  • Ireland has the second highest cancer rate in the world. Regular alcohol consumption is listed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) as one of the factors contributing to the high cancer rates

  • Alcohol and tobacco together are estimated to account for about three-quarters of oral cancer cases in Europe

  • The risk of bowel cancer increases by 8% for every two units of alcohol consumed a day

  • Cancer risk due to alcohol are the same, regardless of the type of alcohol consumed and even drinking within the recommended limits carries an increased risk

  • A recent study on the burden of alcohol consumption on the incidence of cancer in eight European countries reported that up to 10% of all cancers in men and 3% of women may be attributed to alcohol consumption (Source) 

  • While moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to a decrease in risk for cardiovascular disease, the overall net effect of drinking in relation to cancer risk, even of moderate drinking, has been shown to be harmful (Source)

Follow this link for research and reports on alcohol and cancer

Source:http://alcoholireland.ie/facts/alcohol-and cancer/#sthash.JUf1wiYP.dpuf

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