Today, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory citing scientific studies linking alcoholic beverages and an increased risk of at least seven cancers, including breast and colorectal cancers, and called for alcoholic beverages to carry cancer warning labels.
Health warning labels on alcoholic beverages should be updated to include the increased risk of at least seven cancers, including breast (in women), colorectal, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat, and larynx, according to the Surgeon General’s 2025 Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk, published today. The report also suggests reassessing the current recommended limits for alcohol consumption—one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men—to account for the latest evidence on the association between any amount of alcohol use and cancer risk and some types of cardiovascular disease.
“Many people out there assume that as long as they’re drinking at the limits or below the limits of current guidelines of one a day for women and two for men, that there is no risk to their health or well-being. The data does not bear that out for cancer risk,” said Dr. Murthy in an interview with The New York Times.
The advisory also calls for implementing these additional actions to reduce alcohol-related cancers:
- Strengthening and expanding education efforts to increase public awareness that alcohol consumption causes cancer;
- Informing patients in clinical settings about the link between alcohol use and increased cancer risk, and promoting the use of alcohol screening and providing brief intervention and referral to treatment as needed;
- Highlighting alcohol use as a leading modifiable cancer risk factor and incorporating proven alcohol reduction strategies into population-level cancer prevention initiatives.
Raising Public Awareness of Alcohol-Related Cancers
According to the Surgeon General’s report, alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco use and obesity, and contributes to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year. Worldwide, in 2020, over 741,000 cases of cancer were alcohol-related. Despite these statistics, surveys show that less than half of Americans are aware of the association between alcohol use and increased cancer risk.
Key Points
Health warning labels on alcoholic beverages should be updated to include the increased risk of at least seven cancers, including breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, mouth, throat, and laryngeal. Alcohol is a preventable cause of cancer. Surveys show that less than half of Americans know about the link between alcohol use and increased cancer risk. Oncologists should share information about alcohol-related cancer risk with their patients." />In response to the Surgeon General’s advisory, ASCO President Robin T. Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO, issued the following statement:
“Today’s Surgeon General’s advisory is an important reminder of the proven link between alcohol consumption and increased risk for numerous cancers, including head and neck, esophageal, liver, and several other types of cancer.
“Drinking alcohol is one of the many modifiable behaviors that could make a significant difference in how many people are diagnosed with and die from cancer in the U.S. each year. While the evidence for this link has been clear and growing for some time, awareness among the public and health-care professionals continues to lag. ASCO is dedicated to increasing oncologists’ and other cancer care providers’ understanding of these risks and ensuring they share those risks with their patients.
“ASCO urges Americans to pay close attention to the Surgeon General’s advisory and reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption as a significant means to improve their health and reduce the chances of developing cancer.”
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.