Alcohol-Related Cancer Deaths in U.S. More Than Double Since 1990, Study Shows

Deaths from cancers linked to alcohol consumption in the United States more than doubled over the past three decades, according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago. Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine analyzed Global Burden of Disease data and reported that alcohol-attributable cancer deaths increased from 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023.

The analysis showed that older adults and men carried the highest overall burden. Among older men, liver cancer was the leading cause of alcohol-related mortality, followed by esophageal and colorectal cancers. For women, breast cancer accounted for the largest share of alcohol-attributable deaths. In younger adults aged 20 to 54, colorectal cancer was the top cause for men and the second leading cause for women, surpassing liver cancer in both groups.

"The most surprising finding was the breadth of alcohol’s potential impact across cancer types," said Dr. Chinmay Jani, corresponding author and chief fellow in hematology and oncology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"What this study makes clear is that alcohol-related cancer risk is not limited to one disease or one group of people," added Dr. Gilberto Lopes, senior author and chief of the Division of Medical Oncology at the Miller School.

The authors noted that public awareness of alcohol’s link to various cancers remains low compared to risks such as tobacco use. Because no minimum safe level of alcohol has been established, they suggest that reducing consumption could lower long-term cancer risk. The study relied on aggregated national data rather than individual drinking histories, limiting its ability to establish causality or define a specific safe drinking threshold.