Local oncologists and cancer experts say that a federal warning linking even moderate alcohol consumption to increased risk of cancer could prompt more public health measures to reduce the disease.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory Friday linking alcohol to seven types of cancers, including breast, colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat and voice box, and suggested updating warning labels on alcoholic beverages to advise people about their cancer risk.
Federal policy mandating warning labels on alcoholic beverages can only be introduced by Congress, and it is not clear if the incoming Trump administration would back such a change. But city oncology experts say that the surgeon general’s call for greater awareness about the risks of alcohol consumption could be the first step to more public health efforts to prevent cancer.
Many oncologists already have conversations with patients who are diagnosed and treated for cancer about the risks of drinking alcohol, said Dr. Stephanie Bernik, chief of breast service at Mount Sinai West. The surgeon general’s advisory could prompt those conversations earlier and encourage general practitioners to talk to patients about their drinking habits long before a diagnosis.
“This brings that awareness to a different level,” Bernik said. “It really has to come from the primary care physicians who are taking care of these patients for their yearly check-ups.”
The advisory comes as cancers continue to rise in the U.S. Last year was the first time that there were more than 2 million new cancer cases in a single year, largely because of rising diagnoses of common diseases such as breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. New York has also seen an increase in breast, thyroid, colorectal and other common cancers in the past two decades.
There are many factors that contribute to rising cancer rates, but lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise play a role. Alcohol consumption contributes to roughly 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, the surgeon general said. These cancers are preventable, with alcohol being the third leading cause of preventable cancers behind tobacco use and obesity.
The advisory counters long-standing advice that small amounts of consumption may carry zero to low levels of risk. The general public perception is that moderate drinking could be good for cardiovascular health, such as a glass of red wine at dinner, but the warning informs individuals that even moderate drinking can carry risks, said Dr. Jiyoung Ahn, a cancer epidemiologist at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center.
Bernik said that recommended drinking advice depends on each individual’s family history and cancer risk, but that the advisory should encourage patients to reduce their overall drinking habits.
Public awareness is the first step to implementing preventive health efforts that can reduce rates of cancer, said Dr. Jennifer Hay, a clinical health psychologist who leads the laboratory of genomics, risk and health decision-making at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Similar warnings for smoking have reduced cancer rates in the U.S., Hay said. The surgeon general in 1964 issued a landmark report linking tobacco use to cancer. Although smoking-related cancers did not plummet immediately, subsequent public health measures such as mass media campaigns and warning labels on cigarettes have led tobacco use in the U.S. to decline and lowered cancer rates, she added.
“We’re not telling people not to drink,” Hay said. “We’re just promoting informed choice based on the most accurate, updated information about alcohol and cancer risk.” Warning labels are just one way to increase awareness, she added.
