Talks
Presenting Author Academic/Professional Position
Faculty
Academic Level (Author 1)
Faculty
Discipline/Specialty (Author 1)
Neuroscience
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Discipline Track
Clinical Science
Abstract Type
Research/Clinical
Abstract
Objectives: Alcohol use related consequences is a worldwide major public health problem. Alcohol use is globally responsible for three million deaths each year and accounts for 5.1% of the global burden of disease. It accounts for the highest proportion of premature mortality among those ages between 15 and 49 years of age. Alcohol use has been linked to more than 200 disease and injury conditions and to poor health and disabilities of millions of people. While the link between alcohol and cancer has been recognized for a while, the awareness of such connection is still limited among the public and health professionals alike. The aim of this presentation is to review the evidence of the link between alcohol use and cancer.
Methods: Scientific literature was reviewed in regards the link between alcohol use and cancer with specific focus on the prevalence and public health burden, causative links and cancer types, and preventative and management strategies.
Summary of results: Alcohol has been recognized as a level 1 risk factor for cancer and it is considered the third major risk factor after smoking and obesity. The cancer risk increases with increasing consumptions of alcohol, and currently there is no safe level of consumptions regarding cancer risk. There is substantial evidence linking alcohol use at least seven types of cancers, including cancers of the digestive system such as the liver, esophagus, mouth, pharynx and larynx, stomach, colon, rectal, and breast cancers. Alcohol use appears to cause cancer through several mechanisms through direct toxic effects of ethanol and its main metabolism, acetaldehyde through DNA damage and interference with DNA synthesis and repairs, and through the induction of inflammation and oxidative stress as well as through its effects on sex-hormone levels. There is a substantial global burden of alcohol-related cancer disabilities and mortality. Despite the significant public health impact, there is still limited public and health professional awareness of such links, which have impacted negatively on preventative efforts to reduce the risk of alcohol use as a causative effect for cancer.
Conclusions: Alcohol use is a major risk factors for several highly prevalent cancers in the population. Alcohol use is modifiable risk factor, however, there is very limited awareness of the strong link between alcohol use and cancer risks. There is a need for a comprehensive preventative strategy to decrease the burden of alcohol-related cancers. These would include educational efforts, raising public and health professional awareness, policy support, taxation, pricing, appropriate warnings and regulations, as well as other primary, secondary and tertiary prevention efforts to decrease. Further research is needed to identify specific contributors to the risk and resiliency for alcohol-related cancers, such as the role of social determinants of health and other environmental and contextual factors.
Recommended Citation
Salloum, Ihsan, "The Link Between Alcohol and Cancer: An Under Recognized Major Public Health Problem." (2025). Research Symposium. 14.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/2025/talks/14
Included in
The Link Between Alcohol and Cancer: An Under Recognized Major Public Health Problem.
Objectives: Alcohol use related consequences is a worldwide major public health problem. Alcohol use is globally responsible for three million deaths each year and accounts for 5.1% of the global burden of disease. It accounts for the highest proportion of premature mortality among those ages between 15 and 49 years of age. Alcohol use has been linked to more than 200 disease and injury conditions and to poor health and disabilities of millions of people. While the link between alcohol and cancer has been recognized for a while, the awareness of such connection is still limited among the public and health professionals alike. The aim of this presentation is to review the evidence of the link between alcohol use and cancer.
Methods: Scientific literature was reviewed in regards the link between alcohol use and cancer with specific focus on the prevalence and public health burden, causative links and cancer types, and preventative and management strategies.
Summary of results: Alcohol has been recognized as a level 1 risk factor for cancer and it is considered the third major risk factor after smoking and obesity. The cancer risk increases with increasing consumptions of alcohol, and currently there is no safe level of consumptions regarding cancer risk. There is substantial evidence linking alcohol use at least seven types of cancers, including cancers of the digestive system such as the liver, esophagus, mouth, pharynx and larynx, stomach, colon, rectal, and breast cancers. Alcohol use appears to cause cancer through several mechanisms through direct toxic effects of ethanol and its main metabolism, acetaldehyde through DNA damage and interference with DNA synthesis and repairs, and through the induction of inflammation and oxidative stress as well as through its effects on sex-hormone levels. There is a substantial global burden of alcohol-related cancer disabilities and mortality. Despite the significant public health impact, there is still limited public and health professional awareness of such links, which have impacted negatively on preventative efforts to reduce the risk of alcohol use as a causative effect for cancer.
Conclusions: Alcohol use is a major risk factors for several highly prevalent cancers in the population. Alcohol use is modifiable risk factor, however, there is very limited awareness of the strong link between alcohol use and cancer risks. There is a need for a comprehensive preventative strategy to decrease the burden of alcohol-related cancers. These would include educational efforts, raising public and health professional awareness, policy support, taxation, pricing, appropriate warnings and regulations, as well as other primary, secondary and tertiary prevention efforts to decrease. Further research is needed to identify specific contributors to the risk and resiliency for alcohol-related cancers, such as the role of social determinants of health and other environmental and contextual factors.
