Alcohol and Breast Cancer

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Alcohol & Breast Cancer
Alcohol consumption may influence the risk of breast cancer, researchers note

By René Jackson, BSN, RN

According to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts & Figures 2002, this year among women in the United States, an estimated 203,500 new invasive cases of breast cancer are expected to occur. In addition, 54,300 new cases of in situ breast cancer are expected to occur, and an estimated 39,600 deaths are anticipated from breast cancer this year.

The risk of breast cancer increases with age. Risk is higher in women who have: a personal or family history of breast cancer; biopsy-confirmed atypical hyperplasia; increased breast density; a long menstrual history; obesity after menopause; recent use of oral contraceptives or post-menopausal estrogens and progestins; never had children or had their first child after age 30; or consume alcoholic beverages.

"Alcohol consumption is a potentially modifiable behavior that may influence the risk of breast cancer, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women," according to a study analysis published in the Journal of American Medical Association.1 Alcohol consumption was positively associated with the risk of invasive breast cancer. Women who consumed 2-5 drinks per day increased their risk of developing breast cancer compared with nondrinkers.

Studies also show that all types of alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, liquor) were each positively associated with breast cancer risk. Nor does it make any difference whether a woman is pre- or postmenopausal. Experimental results in recent epidemiologic studies indicate that ethanol is a tumor promoter and chronic ethanol exposure enhances metastasis and breast cancer growth. The association between alcohol consumption and increased risk for breast cancer has been a consistent major finding in studies done in the past 20 years.