By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterFRIDAY, Sept. 4, 2026 (HealthDay News) — U.S. cancer deaths linked to booze have doubled since the 1990s, a new study says.
And these deaths aren’t confined solely to liver cancer, which in the past has been most strongly tied to alcohol, researchers said.
For example, colon cancer is the leading cause of alcohol-related cancer deaths among men 20 to 54, researchers found.
“The most surprising finding was the breadth of alcohol’s potential impact across cancer types,” lead researcher Dr. Chinmay Jani said in a news release.
“Although its relationship with liver cancer is widely recognized, its contribution to cancers such as colorectal, esophageal, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancer is less well understood by the public,” Jani said. He is chief fellow in hematology and oncology at the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
For the study, researchers analyzed three decades of data tracking trends in alcohol as a risk factor for various cancers.
Alcohol has long been recognized as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, landing in the same category as tobacco smoke and asbestos, researchers said in background notes.
Results showed that men and adults 55 and older have the most alcohol-related cancer deaths. However, increases were found across most cancer types, age groups and regions of the country, researchers said.
Liver cancer did account for most alcohol-linked cancer deaths among older men, followed by esophageal and colon cancers. Breast cancer was the leading cause of alcohol-linked cancer deaths among women, the study found.
“The most important takeaway is greater awareness that alcohol may affect cancer risk beyond the liver,” Jani said. “These findings highlight alcohol as a potentially modifiable risk factor, and while the lowest safe dose is not yet known, this study suggests that reducing consumption to the lowest amount feasible for each individual may help lessen its impact on cancer risk and overall health.”
In 2023, Washington, D.C., recorded the highest rates of alcohol-linked cancer deaths, while Utah had the lowest.
“What this study makes clear is that alcohol-related cancer risk is not limited to one disease or one group of people,” senior researcher Dr. Gilberto Lopes, chief of medical oncology at Sylvester Cancer Center, said in a news release.
“As physicians and cancer researchers, we have an opportunity to help patients understand that alcohol is a modifiable risk factor and that even small, informed changes can be part of a broader strategy to reduce cancer risk in our community,” Lopes said.
The findings were published Sept. 2.
SOURCE: University of Miami, news release, Sept. 2, 2026
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