WHO warns: Alcohol causes thousands of cancer cases, Europe the most at risk

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning that alcohol is a leading cause of thousands of cancer cases worldwide.

A new study has confirmed that Europe is the most at-risk region, as it is known for having the highest per capita alcohol consumption.

Data collected in the latest report, prepared by WHO and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), showed that in 2020 there were approximately 741,300 new cancer cases globally directly linked to alcohol consumption. This represents 4.1% of all new cancer cases worldwide, with 6.1% occurring in men and 2% in women.

Meanwhile, in the European Union alone, alcohol caused over 111,000 new cancer cases in 2020, including colorectal, breast, and oral cancers. About 70% of these cases were among men.

The economic cost of premature deaths from alcohol-related cancers in the EU in 2018 reached €4.58 billion, while other social and healthcare costs amount to tens of billions.

Science has already established that alcohol is a cause of at least seven types of cancer and that there is no safe level of consumption. Therefore, policies that reduce alcohol consumption are recommended, which would also lower cancer risk.

Experts from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, supported by international studies, have assessed that strong policies—such as increasing taxes, restricting access, and banning alcohol marketing—are among the most effective measures for reducing alcohol consumption and, consequently, the number of cancer cases.

Implementing these policies has been shown to produce results within five years, saving lives and reducing costs for societies. Experts say that doubling alcohol taxes could prevent up to 6% of new alcohol-related cancer cases and deaths in the European Region of WHO.

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