Alcohol Consumption A Leading Risk Factor For Cancer. But Awareness and Policy Response Remain Inadequate

Delhi 02 Feb – On World Cancer Day, countries, the World Health Organization and civil society – including Nada India – are joining forces to raise awareness of the global cancer burden and take further steps to better prevent and reduce cancer.

The need to step up cancer prevention and control around the world is immense. For instance, the WHO warns that, if current trends continue, the world will see a 60% increase in cancer cases over the next two decades. [The greatest increase (an estimated 81%) in new cases will occur in low- and middle-income countries, where survival rates are currently lowest.]

After tobacco (18%), alcohol is the second biggest cause of cancer – long before other risk factors such as infections (3%), physical inactivity, or sunlight.

”The fact that alcohol is a carcinogen has been clearly confirmed,” says [Insert name and organization].

“In fact, science knows since the 1980s that alcohol causes cancer. But we are concerned because public awareness and policy action has so far been inadequate.”

[Alcohol caused 10.3 million cancer disability-adjusted life years lost, representing 4.2% of all cancer disability-adjusted life years lost worldwide in 2016.

For breast cancer globally, alcohol is the single biggest risk factor. In total, alcohol-related cancer causes 650,000 deaths every year.]

Recent data indicate that the proportion of cancers attributable to alcohol worldwide has increased.

A large part of the alcohol-related cancer burden originates from light to moderate alcohol consumption. Therefore, population-level preventive strategies are best suited to reduce the alcohol-attributable cancer burden. These are alcohol taxation, alcohol availability regulations and alcohol advertising bans.

”Alcohol-attributable cancer is largely preventable – through evidence-based, cost-effective, and high-impact alcohol policy solutions,” says [Insert name and organization].

”Evidence shows that informing people, increasing awareness and understanding of alcohol’s cancer risks leads to bigger support for alcohol prevention and controlmeasures. This in turn leads to significant reductions in cancer mortality.

We calculated the cancer deaths averted from improved alcohol policy through a 10% and a 30% total per capita alcohol consumption reduction scenario.

“We call on our government to make cancer prevention a priority by implementing high-impact alcohol policy solutions, such as alcohol taxation. 

“And we need a national conversation about the real effects of alcohol, such as cancer, to raise public awareness.”