The World Health Organization (WHO) and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have issued a new Handbook for Cancer Prevention, warning that alcohol consumption is one of Europe’s leading preventable causes of cancer. The report highlights that in 2020, alcohol was responsible for approximately 181,000 new cancer cases across Europe, including over 111,000 within the European Union, with men accounting for nearly 70 percent of these cases.
Alcohol has been officially classified by IARC as a Group 1 carcinogen since 1988, meaning it is known to cause cancer in humans. It increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer, including cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver, colorectum, and breast. Researchers identify several mechanisms behind this effect, such as DNA damage from acetaldehyde (a byproduct of ethanol metabolism), oxidative stress, hormonal changes, and disruption of the gut microbiome.
The WHO warns that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption for cancer prevention. Even moderate drinking — less than two drinks per day — contributes significantly to global cancer cases. Worldwide, alcohol was linked to around 741,000 new cancer cases in 2020, about 4 percent of all cancer diagnoses.
Beyond the human toll, the financial burden is also considerable. Alcohol-related cancers caused premature deaths costing an estimated EUR 4.58 billion in 2018, not including healthcare expenses.
The new WHO handbook emphasizes that population-wide policies such as higher alcohol taxes, minimum pricing, advertising bans, limiting sales hours, and raising the legal drinking age are proven to reduce consumption and lower cancer risks. According to IARC, doubling excise taxes on alcohol could prevent around 6 percent of new alcohol-related cancer cases and deaths in Europe.
Dr Gundo Weiler, WHO Europe’s Director for Prevention and Health Promotion, warned that European societies are “paying too high a price for alcohol in preventable cancers and broken families.” He added that while some view alcohol as part of Europe’s cultural heritage, “disease, death, and disability should not be normalized as part of European culture.”
Dr Elisabete Weiderpass, Director of IARC, underlined that “population-wide alcohol policies reduce drinking, and reduced drinking lowers cancer risk.” Her colleague Dr Béatrice Lauby-Secretan stressed that raising awareness about the carcinogenic risks of alcohol is “critical,” reminding the public that “no level of drinking is safe.”
The WHO calls on European governments to act swiftly with stronger regulations and prevention campaigns, warning that thousands of cancers and deaths each year could be avoided through effective alcohol control measures.
