A new analysis released ahead of the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago explored the link between cancer deaths and alcohol use.
Researchers used data from the Global Burden of Disease or GBD database, which tracks death rates and risk factors for 35 types of cancer. The study focused on seven types of cancer that are often connected to alcohol - breast, liver, colorectal, throat, voice box, mouth, and esophagus. While alcohol doesn't cause every case of these cancers, it is known to contribute to many of them.
The findings showed that deaths from alcohol-related cancers in the U.S. have doubled over the past three decades from about 11,900 in 1990 to over 23,200 in 2021.
Moreover, the study found that men and people over the age of 55 had much higher death rates. In 1991, 2.5 percent of all cancer deaths in men and 1.46 percent in women were linked to alcohol. By 2021, those numbers had grown to 4.2 percent in men and 1.85 percent in women.
During that same time, deaths among men from these alcohol-related cancers rose by 56 percent, while women experienced an increase of nearly 8 percent.
Among all U.S. states, Washington, D.C. had the highest rate of alcohol-related cancer deaths, while Utah had the lowest.
"Despite growing awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer development, alcohol continues to contribute significantly to cancer mortality," the authors concluded.
"Our findings highlight the critical need for targeted prevention efforts and increased awareness to address the rising impact of alcohol consumption on cancer-related mortality."
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