The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7224 p700
16 November 2002

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British Journal of Cancer (more)

Breast cancer risk is linked with alcohol

About 4 per cent of breast cancers in women in developed countries may be attributable to alcohol, researchers say.

They anaylsed data from 53 worldwide studies of 58,515 women with invasive breast cancer and 95,067 controls. They report that for women in developed countries who drink alcohol regularly the cumulative incidence of breast cancer by 80 years of age is estimated to increase from 8.8 per 100 women who drink no alcohol to 10.1 per 100 who consume two units daily and to 11.6 per 100 women who consume four units per day.

The researchers add: "The effect of alcohol on breast cancer needs to be interpreted in the context of its beneficial effects, in moderation, on cardiovascular disease and its harmful effects on cirrhosis and cancers of the mouth, larynx, oesophagus and liver." (British Journal of Cancer 2002; 87:1234.)