Alcohol consumption is a major cause of cancer in Europe, according to a new report from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The agency warns that stronger government action could prevent thousands of cancer cases and deaths each year.
In 2020, alcohol was responsible for more than 111,000 new cancer cases in the European Union—the region with the highest alcohol consumption in the world. Globally, alcohol caused an estimated 741,000 cancer cases, with men accounting for nearly 70 percent.
The economic burden is also severe. Premature deaths from alcohol-related cancers cost Europe an estimated €4.58 billion in 2018, according to WHO data.
“The WHO European Region, and especially EU countries, 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, who leads prevention and health promotion at WHO’s Europe office. He added that while some view alcohol as part of European culture, “disease, death, and disability should not be normalised.”
Alcohol and Cancer Risk
IARC first classified alcohol as a carcinogen in 1988. The agency has confirmed that alcohol increases the risk of at least seven cancers: those of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectum, and female breast.
Researchers say alcohol contributes to cancer through several biological mechanisms, including DNA damage from oxidative stress and acetaldehyde, hormonal changes, and disruptions to the gut microbiome.
Reducing or stopping alcohol consumption lowers the risk of these cancers. While most alcohol-related cancers are linked to risky or heavy drinking (two to more than six drinks per day), even moderate consumption—fewer than two drinks daily—was associated with over 100,000 new cancer cases worldwide in 2020.
Policies to Reduce Harm
This report is the first time IARC has assessed the benefits of preventing alcohol-related cancers. It concludes that population-wide alcohol policies effectively reduce drinking and, consequently, cancer risk.
IARC recommends strategies such as higher alcohol taxes, setting minimum prices, raising the legal drinking age, restricting sales hours and retail density, banning alcohol advertising, and introducing government-controlled sales.
Evidence suggests such measures work. A 2021 study found that doubling alcohol excise taxes could have prevented 6 percent of new alcohol-related cancers and deaths in 2019 across WHO’s 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.”
