Alcohol consumption is a major driver of cancer in Europe, according to a new report from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Experts say stronger government action to reduce drinking could prevent tens of thousands of cases and deaths each year.
In the European Union—the region with the world’s highest alcohol intake—more than 111,000 new cancer cases in 2020 were linked to alcohol consumption. Globally, alcohol was responsible for an estimated 741,000 cancer cases that year, with men accounting for nearly 70% of them.
The economic impact is also significant. WHO estimates that premature deaths from alcohol-related cancers cost €4.58 billion in 2018.
“The WHO European Region, and especially countries of the EU, are paying too high a price for alcohol in preventable cancers and broken families, as well as costing billions to taxpayers,” said Dr. Gundo Weiler, head of prevention and health promotion at WHO’s Europe office. “Some call alcohol a ‘cultural heritage,’ but disease, death, and disability should not be normalized as part of European culture.”
How Alcohol Causes Cancer
IARC classified alcohol as a carcinogen in 1988. It is known to increase the risk of at least seven types of cancer: those of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colorectum, and female breast.
Researchers say alcohol can trigger cancer through several biological pathways, including hormone disruption, changes to the gut microbiome, and DNA damage caused by oxidative stress and acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of ethanol.
Reducing or stopping alcohol consumption significantly lowers the risk of developing these cancers. Most alcohol-attributable cancers are linked to “risky” drinking (two to six drinks per day) or “heavy” drinking (more than six drinks daily). Even moderate consumption—fewer than two drinks per day—was associated with over 100,000 new cancer cases worldwide in 2020.
Strategies for Prevention
For the first time, IARC’s analysis assessed how effective alcohol control policies could be in preventing cancer. It found clear evidence that population-wide alcohol reduction strategies lower cancer risks.
The agency recommends higher alcohol taxes, minimum pricing, raising the legal drinking age, restricting the number and hours of alcohol retailers, banning advertising, and introducing government-controlled sales systems.
According to IARC, such policies have a measurable impact. One 2021 study found that doubling alcohol excise taxes could have prevented 6% of new alcohol-related cancer cases and deaths in 2019 across the WHO European region, which includes Europe and Central Asia.
“Raising awareness about the cancer risks of alcohol and the fact that no level of drinking is safe is critical,” said Dr. Béatrice Lauby-Secretan, deputy head of IARC’s evidence synthesis and classification branch. “Everyone has a role to play in changing the current norms and values surrounding alcohol consumption.”
