The public's awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer needs to improve, Irish researchers have said.
After smoking, obesity and physical inactivity, alcohol is a major cause of cancer and the proportion of alcohol-related deaths from cancer in Ireland is higher than the European average, the researchers warned.
They carried out a study which analysed the incidence of cancer deaths that were attributed to alcohol in Ireland over the 10-year period 2001 to 2010.
The study found that during this period, 4,585 (4.7%) male invasive cancer cases and 4,593 (4.2%) female invasive cases were attributable to alcohol.
The greatest risk was linked to cancers around the air and digestive tracts, including cancers of the mouth, larynx and oesophagus. These accounted for over half of the male cancer cases and at least one in three of the women's cases.
In men, alcohol was also found to be responsible for 11% of rectal cancer cases, 7% of pancreatic cancer cases and 6% of colon cancer cases. In women, over 12% of breast cancer cases were attributable to alcohol - this amounts to over 300 cases per year.
Source: Deborah Condon, irishhealth.com, 15/12/13
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