Stricter public policies on alcohol can save lives and reduce alcohol-related cancers, said the World Health Organization (WHO/Europe) on Tuesday 14 October, in partnership with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
According to a new report published in ‘Volume 20’ of the IARC’s Handbooks of Cancer Prevention, the introduction of higher taxes, sales restrictions and advertising bans are among the most effective measures for reducing alcohol consumption and, consequently, the incidence of cancer (see EUROPE 13580/13).
“Countries of the EU are paying too high a price for alcohol in preventable cancers and broken families, as well as costing billions to taxpayers”, said Dr Gundo Weiler, Director for Prevention and Health Promotion at WHO/Europe.
The European Union is the region of the world where alcohol consumption is highest. In 2020, alcohol caused 111,300 new cases of cancer, including colorectal (36,900), breast (24,200) and oral cavity (12,400) cancers, according to the report. Almost 70% of cases were in men.
Alcoholic beverages have been classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) for several decades, according to the WHO. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)