The alarming rise in alcohol-related cancer deaths over the last three decades demands urgent public health action, as a new study revealed it has reached double the levels.
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Cancer deaths related to alcohol consumption have skyrocketed in the United States, rising from 11,896 in 1990 to a staggering 23,207 in 2021, with government health officials doing little to warn Americans about this deadly risk.
A new study to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting shows alcohol-related cancer deaths have doubled over the past three decades.
The research found men have been hit particularly hard, with alcohol-related cancer deaths increasing by 70.2% in men compared to just 15.2% in women. Americans aged 55 and older face the highest risk.
Washington, D.C., reported the highest alcohol-related mortality rate in the nation. Meanwhile, Utah had the lowest rate.
The research team used data from the Global Burden of Disease database to analyze death rates across the country.
Their findings showed that excessive alcohol consumption is linked to six types of cancer: breast, colorectal, liver, stomach, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and certain head and neck cancers.
In 2021, liver, colorectal, and esophageal cancers were identified as the deadliest alcohol-related cancers.
According to the study authors, “Despite growing awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer development, alcohol continues to contribute significantly to cancer mortality.”
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen – the same category as tobacco.
However, there has been minimal effort to inform Americans about these risks compared to other government health campaigns.
In men, the percentage of cancer deaths attributable to alcohol rose from 2.5% in 1991 to 4.2% in 2021. For women, these figures increased from 1.46% to 1.85%.
Deaths from alcohol-related cancers increased in 47 states for men but only in 16 states for women, with New Mexico seeing the highest rise.
The surge in alcohol-related cancer deaths coincides with trends in alcohol consumption that peaked in the late 1970s, declined until the late ’90s, and rose again during the pandemic.
Yearly cancer deaths linked to alcohol have doubled in the U.S. over the last three decades, rising from just under 12,000 a year in 1990 to more than 23,000 a year in 2021, new research finds. https://t.co/C7Yf7DHSTC
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 23, 2025
Study authors Dr. Gilberto Lopes and Dr. Chinmay Jani emphasized the importance of educating Americans about alcohol’s impact on cancer risk.
“We hope that our study will help educate the public on the impact of alcohol on individual cancer risk,” Dr. Lopes said.
This research serves as an important reminder to hardworking Americans who enjoy an occasional drink that personal responsibility in health decisions remains crucial.
This call to action represents a health imperative and a societal one. It is time to confront the magnitude of alcohol’s impact on Americans’ health and take comprehensive measures to mitigate its deadly consequences.
