The U.S. surgeon general issued an advisory on alcohol and cancer risk, including a recommendation that alcoholic beverages be labeled with warnings about their link to cancer.
The strong association between alcohol and seven cancers noted in the report has been known for decades, but the understanding of how and why is more recent.
Alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer, after obesity and tobacco.
Researchers at Sylvester hope the advisory will change public behavior and the practice of oncology.

For years, researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, have tracked a growing body of research that underscores why alcohol is labeled a Group 1 Carcinogen, and have incorporated this understanding into their practices.

Now, they are praising the U.S. surgeon general’s recommendation that alcoholic beverages carry updated labels warning consumers about their link to cancer. They hope this new recommendation, part of the Jan. 3 advisory on alcohol and cancer risk, will encourage the public to change what many public health experts view as worrisome habits.

“Our message has always been to monitor alcohol intake, but this does bring more awareness to the subject,” said Susan B. Kesmodel, M.D., director of Breast Surgical Oncology and co-leader of the Breast Site Disease Group at Sylvester. “Increased awareness may help to reduce alcohol consumption in more individuals.”

Source: https://news.med.miami.edu/alcohol-consumption-linked-to-seven-types-of-cancer/