06-02-2025
Piedmont expert on alcohol consumption and cancer diagnosis link
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — Last month, the outgoing U.S. Surgeon General put out an advisory on alcohol consumption and cancer risk. It links alcohol consumption to cancers of the mouth, liver, throat and more.
Dr. Walter Curran leads Piedmont's oncology team in Atlanta; he said the outgoing Surgeon General's advisory may be a tough pill to swallow for some patients.
'Cancer cure rates continue to increase for most types of cancer, which is fabulous, but the frequency of cancer development has not gone down for many types of cancer,' Curran said.
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According to Curran, rates of lung cancer have reduced due to decreases in smoking, however the trend has not translated to other types of cancers. He hopes keeping the public more informed about what impact alcohol consumption may have on likelihood of developing cancer could influence changed behavior surrounding drinking.
'I think it's a it's tough news for many of us who might enjoy moderate intake of alcohol. But again, better to be informed than uninformed about an important issue like this,' Curran said.
One group particularly at risk is women, who are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer if they drink alcohol.
This might be due to one of multiple ways alcohol can cause cancer, which is by altering hormone levels, including estrogen.
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Information released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows about five more women out of 100 would develop cancer with an alcohol consumption rate of two drinks per day. It also shows the same rate of alcohol consumption increases risk of breast cancer.
'If you're a woman who has a family history of breast cancer or if you're a woman who has had one breast cancer and your physicians tell you are at risk for another, that's a person who probably needs to think even more seriously about significantly reducing their alcohol use,' Curran said.
The USDHH reports 741,300 cases of cancer were linked to alcohol consumption in 2020. Nearly 25% of those cases were among those who drank less-than or equal-to two drinks per day.
Curran said he expects changes in Food and Drug Administration Guidelines concerning 'safe' alcohol consumption as research continues to link even moderate amounts, to developing cancer.
Read the full USDHH report here.
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