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There’s no safe level of alcohol use when it comes to cancer risk. 

Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning it is a known cause of cancer, in the same category as tobacco and asbestos. Even drinking small amounts of alcohol increases your risk of developing cancer. The risk increases with every drink you have.1

alcohol is a poison

Your body converts alcohol to poison

Alcohol has toxic effects on cells, tissues and organs in the body. This is caused by:

  1. Ethanol
    Ethanol (pure alcohol) is a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning it is a known cause of cancer, in the same category as tobacco and asbestos.2

  2. Acetaldehyde 
    When your body breaks down alcohol, it is converted to acetaldehyde, a highly toxic chemical and Group 1 carcinogen.2 Acetaldehyde damages DNA in cells and stops them from repairing the damage. This can build up and cause irreversible damage, which can lead to cancer.3,4

The more alcohol you drink - particularly the more alcohol you drink regularly over time - the higher your risk of developing cancer.5 

Tips to reduce your drinking 

Alcohol causes 7 types of cancer

Alcohol causes cancer in at least seven sites in the body. Even drinking small amounts of alcohol increases your risk of developing cancer. These sites are:

  1. Mouth
  2. Oesophagus (food pipe)
  3. Larynx (voice box)
  4. Pharynx (upper throat)
  5. Breast
  6. Bowel
  7. Liver

How does alcohol cause cancer?

Click on the tabs below to learn more about how alcohol causes cancer.

Alcohol is the leading modifiable risk factor for breast cancer. Alcohol can increase levels of estrogen, an important hormone in the growth and development of breast tissue. This increases the risk of developing breast cancer. 

Alcohol can also damage DNA in cells which can make them more likely to divide abnormally and lead to cancer.

A small amount of alcohol is broken down by tissues in the gastrointestinal tract. Alcohol can permanently damage cells in the lining of the small or large intestine (colon) or rectum. This damage to DNA in cells can lead to bowel (colon or rectal) cancer.

Alcohol lingers in the mouth irritates cells - this can cause damage over time and lead to cancer. This risk is significantly higher if you combine drinking alcohol with smoking. Alcohol makes it easier for other cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke to enter the lining of cells in the mouth.

 

Alcohol is an irritant to cells in the throat. This can cause cancer in the upper throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), and oesophagus (food pipe).  

Even at low levels of alcohol use (up to one standard drink per day) the risk of developing cancer is significantly increased in sites where alcohol comes into direct contact, including the mouth, throat, and oesophagus.

The risk is significantly higher if you combine drinking alcohol with smoking. Alcohol also makes it easier for cells to absorb other cancer-causing substances like tobacco smoke.

Over 90% of alcohol is broken down by enzymes in the liver. Regular and heavy alcohol use can damage the liver, leading to inflammation and scarring (cirrhosis). The more cells in the liver try to repair the damage, the more likely they can make mistakes in their DNA, which can lead to cancer.

Breast cancer pink ribbon

Did you know?

Up to 1 in 10 cases of breast cancer in Australia is linked to drinking alcohol.7,8

For women who drink one bottle of wine per week, the lifetime risk of developing cancer is estimated as being the same as smoking 10 cigarettes per week.9 

The best way to reduce your risk is to reduce your drinking. 

Tips to reduce your drinking

Facts and figures

3,500 

Australian adults are diagnosed with cancer caused by alcohol each year.

4% 

Of cancer cases in 2020 were caused by alcohol.


3

Western Australians die from alcohol-caused cancer each week on average.

249,700

The estimated number of cancer cases alcohol will contribute to among Australians who were adults in 2016.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. There’s no safe level of alcohol use when it comes to cancer risk. The more you drink and the more often you drink, the greater your risk. The relationship between cancers and low levels of alcohol use (up to 1 standard drink per day) is now stronger than previously recognised. 

It doesn’t matter if the drink is beer, wine, or spirits - it’s the alcohol itself that causes damage. All types of alcoholic drinks can cause cancer.

Drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco significantly increases your risk of developing cancer. This is because tobacco and alcohol work together to cause more damage to cells, especially in the mouth and throat. 

For heavy users of alcohol and tobacco, the risk of developing mouth and throat cancers increases up to 35 times greater. 

To reduce your risk of cancer, if you don't drink, don't start. If you do drink, the best way to reduce your risk is to reduce the amount you drink.

The Australian Alcohol Guidelines recommend that healthy men and women should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day.

Learn more about tips to reduce your drinking. 

Reduce your risk of harm

If you drink, the Australian Alcohol Guidelines recommends no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any day to reduce the risk of alcohol-related harm. 

The less you drink, the lower your risk of harm from alcohol.

Tips to reduce your drinking

Related topics

  1. Cancer Australia. Alcohol Position Statement. 2015. Available from: https://www.canceraustralia.gov.au/resources/position-statements/lifestyle-risk-factors-and-primary-prevention-cancer/lifestyle-risk-factors/alcohol
  2. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Personal habits and indoor combustions. 2012. Lyon, France: IARC.   https://publications.iarc.fr/Book-And-Report-Series/Iarc-Monographs-On-The-Identification-Of-Carcinogenic-Hazards-To-Humans/Personal-Habits-And-Indoor-Combustions-2012 
  3. Connor J. 2017. Alcohol consumption as a cause of cancer. Addiction. 112(2):222-228. doi:10.1111/add.13477. Epub 2016 Jul 21. PMID: 27442501.
  4. Cancer Council Victoria. How alcohol causes cancer. Available from: https://www.cancervic.org.au/preventing-cancer/limit-alcohol/how-alcohol-causes-cancer
  5. University of Sydney. Evidence evaluation report: evaluating the evidence on the health effects of alcohol consumption. 2018. Sydney: NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre.
    https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/attachments/Alcohol/9-evaluation-submitted-health-effects.pdf
  6. World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Continuous Update Project Expert Report. 2018. Alcoholic drinks and the risk of cancer. Available at https://www.wcrf.org/diet-and-cancer
  7. Pandeya N, Wilson LF, Webb PM, Neale RE, Bain CJ, Whiteman DC. Cancers in Australia in 2010 attributable to the consumption of alcohol. 2015. Aust N Z J Public Health. 39(5)
  8. Arriaga ME, Vajdic CM, Canfell K, MacInnis RJ, Banks E, Byles JE, et al. The preventable burden of breast cancers for premenopausal and postmenopausal women in Australia: A pooled cohort study. Int J Cancer. 2019. 145(9)
  9. Hydes, T.J., Burton, R., Inskip, H. et al. A comparison of gender-linked population cancer risks between alcohol and tobacco: how many cigarettes are there in a bottle of wine?. 2019. BMC Public Health 19, 316. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6576-9
     

Page last updated24 October 2023

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