Alcohol can cause what kinds of cancer

Alcohol use is one of the most important preventable risk factors for cancer, along with tobacco use and excess body weight. Alcohol probably also increases the risk of cancer of the stomach , and might affect the risk of some other cancers as well. For each of these cancers, the more alcohol you drink, the higher your cancer risk. But for some types of cancer, most notably breast cancer, consuming even small amounts of alcohol can increase risk. Cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, and esophagus: Alcohol use clearly raises the risk of these cancers.

Drinking and smoking together raises the risk of these cancers many times more than drinking or smoking alone. This might be because alcohol can help harmful chemicals in tobacco get inside the cells that line the mouth, throat, and esophagus.

Alcohol may also limit how these cells can repair damage to their DNA caused by the chemicals in tobacco. Liver cancer: Long-term alcohol use has been linked to an increased risk of liver cancer.

Regular, heavy alcohol use can damage the liver, leading to inflammation and scarring, which might be why it raises the risk of liver cancer. Colon and rectal cancer: Alcohol use has been linked with a higher risk of cancers of the colon and rectum. The evidence for this is generally stronger in men than in women, but studies have found the link in both sexes.

Breast cancer: Drinking even small amounts of alcohol is linked with an increased risk of breast cancer in women. Alcohol can raise estrogen levels in the body, which may explain some of the increased risk. Avoiding or cutting back on alcohol may be an important way for many women to lower their risk of breast cancer.

Ethanol is the type of alcohol found in alcoholic drinks, whether they are beers, wines, liquors distilled spirits , or other drinks. Alcoholic drinks contain different percentages of ethanol, but in general, a standard size drink of any type — 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.

Overall, the amount of alcohol someone drinks over time, not the type of alcoholic beverage, seems to be the most important factor in raising cancer risk. Most evidence suggests that it is the ethanol that increases the risk, not other things in the drink. In fact, there are likely several different ways it can raise risk, and this might depend on the type of cancer.

Alcohol and cancer risk. Updated September 13, American Cancer Society. Alcohol use and cancer. Updated February 12, Links between alcohol consumption and breast cancer: A look at the evidence.

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