Alcohol Use, Cancer Deaths, and Years of Potential Life Lost in the United States

Background. Although alcohol is a risk factor for several types of cancer, its overall impact on U.S. cancer mortality has not been estimated in recent years. Furthermore, the potential role of reduced alcohol consumption as a cancer prevention strategy is not widely recognized. We estimated the contribution of alcohol use to cancer mortality and years of potential life lost (YPLL) among U.S. adults during 2007 by age group, sex, and alcohol consumption level. Methods. Alcohol-attributable deaths and YPLLs were calculated using relative risk estimates from recent meta-analyses; cancer mortality and life expectancy data from the U.S. Vital Statistics System; prevalence data on alcohol use from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys; and alcohol sales-based consumption data from the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System. We used two different methodologies to provide sensitivity analyses. Results. In 2007, 3.5% of all U.S. cancer deaths (19,700 to 20,200 deaths) were alcohol-attributable. Among women, breast cancer accounted for the majority of alcohol-attributable cancer deaths (55% to 66%), whereas oropharyngeal and esophageal cancers accounted for 47% to 63% of alcohol-attributable cancer deaths among men. Approximately one-fourth to one-third of alcohol-attributable cancer deaths occurred at low-to-moderate average consumption levels. Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths resulted in 339,100 to 356,900 YPLL, or an average of 16.8 to 18.1 YPLLs per death.

Conclusions. Alcohol is a major contributor to cancer mortality in the United States. Implementing effective population-based alcohol policy strategies could significantly reduce cancer mortality. Additional analyses are planned using 2008 data, which will include stratification by high risk populations.