In Three Decades, Alcohol-Related Cancer Deaths Have Doubled

In 2025, the US Surgeon General recommended adding cancer risk warnings to alcoholic drinks, a formal statement highlighting a significant public health issue. Now, a new study assessing cancer deaths due to alcohol has just been published. It reviewed over three decades of data from over 200 countries and territories, collected through the Global Burden of Disease Study.

The results of the study found that from 1990 to 2023, the annual number of alcohol-linked cancer deaths in the US have doubled, increasing from 11,361 to 23,126.

According to the study, the higher risk of alcohol-related cancer deaths applies to breast, prostate, colon, rectum, stomach, pancreatic, liver, and head and neck cancers. Liver and breast cancers had the highest number of alcohol-linked cancer deaths for those aged 55 and above.

In younger adults aged 20 to 54, colorectal cancer in men and breast cancer in females had the highest alcohol-related cancer mortality rates. Another study in New Zealand also showed that cancer accounted for 61% of all female alcohol-attributable cancer deaths. It’s possible that alcohol may increase estrogen levels, leading to the development of breast cancers.

Alcohol is known as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and it has been well-established that it causes cancer. One’s risk of cancer increases as more alcohol is consumed. However, according to the World Health Organization, no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health.

It’s possible for alcohol to raise one’s cancer risk by damaging body tissues, reducing nutrient absorption, raising hormone levels and slowing the body’s ability to remove harmful chemicals.

Given the findings from this study, it’s clear that a push in public health interventions to reduce alcohol consumption could help reduce cancer risk in the community. The American Cancer Society has also highlighted that drinking is the third most avoidable cause of cancer, after cigarette smoking and excess body weight.

Learn more: Taking Care of Your Liver: How to Stop Drinking Alcohol