No Effect

Several cancer types were not associated with alcohol consumption. Meta-analyses found no association between alcohol consumption and bladder, brain, extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, endometrial, lung, and ovarian cancers, and uterine myomas, gliomas, or leukemias.24-32

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Protective Effect

Several meta-analyses demonstrated a protective effect of alcohol consumption and certain types of cancers, particularly hematologic malignancies and renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Hodgkin Lymphoma

A meta-analysis of 10 studies found that alcohol consumption lowered the risk of Hodgkin lymphoma compared with non-drinking (RR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.60-0.81) in a dose-response fashion. The association remained significant with light drinking (RR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.57-0.89) and moderate to heavy drinking (RR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.60-0.87).33

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Multiple Myeloma

Though one meta-analysis found an association between alcohol consumption and an increased risk of multiple myeloma (MM), another meta-analysis that included 26 observational studies demonstrated that ever-consumption of alcohol reduced the risk of MM (RR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.79-0.99), particularly among females (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.69-0.89) and with wine consumption (RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.67-0.89).34, 35 Another study, however, showed no association between alcohol consumption and risk of MM.36

RCC

Three meta-analysis demonstrated that alcohol consumption decreases the risk of RCC, with the most recent showing a dose-response relationship of 5% and 9% among males and females, respectively, with every 5 g of alcohol consumed per day.37-39 Wine consumption by women resulted in an RR of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.73-0.91), whereas beer consumption by males resulted in an RR of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.83-0.91).

Thyroid Cancer

Pooled data from 5 prospective studies that included 1003 thyroid cancer cases demonstrated that consumption of at least 7 drinks per week decreased the risk of thyroid cancer (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.58-0.90), particularly for papillary tumors.40

Conclusions

The association of cancer risk and alcohol varies by tumor type, as alcohol consumption has been associated with several different types of cancers. No effect and a protective effect, however, have also been noted.

References

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Diet Fact Sheet General Oncology