Alcohol and cancer: A position statement from Cancer Council Australia

The Cancer Council Australia (CCA) Alcohol Working Group has prepared a position statement on alcohol use and cancer. The statement has been reviewed by external experts and endorsed by the CCA Board. Alcohol use is a cause of cancer. Any level of alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing...

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Main Authors: Winstanley, M., Pratt, Steve, Chapman, K., Griffin, H., Croager, E., Olver, I., Sinclair, C., Slevin, Terry
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2011
Online Access:https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2011/194/9/alcohol-and-cancer-position-statement-cancer-council-australia
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34645
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author Winstanley, M.
Pratt, Steve
Chapman, K.
Griffin, H.
Croager, E.
Olver, I.
Sinclair, C.
Slevin, Terry
author_facet Winstanley, M.
Pratt, Steve
Chapman, K.
Griffin, H.
Croager, E.
Olver, I.
Sinclair, C.
Slevin, Terry
author_sort Winstanley, M.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The Cancer Council Australia (CCA) Alcohol Working Group has prepared a position statement on alcohol use and cancer. The statement has been reviewed by external experts and endorsed by the CCA Board. Alcohol use is a cause of cancer. Any level of alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing an alcohol-related cancer; the level of risk increases in line with the level of consumption. It is estimated that 5070 cases of cancer (or 5% of all cancers) are attributable to long-term chronic use of alcohol each year in Australia. Together, smoking and alcohol have a synergistic effect on cancer risk, meaning the combined effects of use are significantly greater than the sum of individual risks. Alcohol use may contribute to weight (fat) gain, and greater body fatness is a convincing cause of cancers of the oesophagus, pancreas, bowel, endometrium, kidney and breast (in postmenopausal women). The existing evidence does not justify the promotion of alcohol use to prevent coronary heart disease, as the previously reported role of alcohol in reducing heart disease risk in light-to-moderate drinkers appears to have been overestimated. CCA recommends that to reduce their risk of cancer, people limit their consumption of alcohol, or better still avoid alcohol altogether. For individuals who choose to drink alcohol, CCA recommends that they drink only within the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines for alcohol consumption.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-346452017-01-30T13:44:52Z Alcohol and cancer: A position statement from Cancer Council Australia Winstanley, M. Pratt, Steve Chapman, K. Griffin, H. Croager, E. Olver, I. Sinclair, C. Slevin, Terry The Cancer Council Australia (CCA) Alcohol Working Group has prepared a position statement on alcohol use and cancer. The statement has been reviewed by external experts and endorsed by the CCA Board. Alcohol use is a cause of cancer. Any level of alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing an alcohol-related cancer; the level of risk increases in line with the level of consumption. It is estimated that 5070 cases of cancer (or 5% of all cancers) are attributable to long-term chronic use of alcohol each year in Australia. Together, smoking and alcohol have a synergistic effect on cancer risk, meaning the combined effects of use are significantly greater than the sum of individual risks. Alcohol use may contribute to weight (fat) gain, and greater body fatness is a convincing cause of cancers of the oesophagus, pancreas, bowel, endometrium, kidney and breast (in postmenopausal women). The existing evidence does not justify the promotion of alcohol use to prevent coronary heart disease, as the previously reported role of alcohol in reducing heart disease risk in light-to-moderate drinkers appears to have been overestimated. CCA recommends that to reduce their risk of cancer, people limit their consumption of alcohol, or better still avoid alcohol altogether. For individuals who choose to drink alcohol, CCA recommends that they drink only within the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines for alcohol consumption. 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34645 https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2011/194/9/alcohol-and-cancer-position-statement-cancer-council-australia fulltext
spellingShingle Winstanley, M.
Pratt, Steve
Chapman, K.
Griffin, H.
Croager, E.
Olver, I.
Sinclair, C.
Slevin, Terry
Alcohol and cancer: A position statement from Cancer Council Australia
title Alcohol and cancer: A position statement from Cancer Council Australia
title_full Alcohol and cancer: A position statement from Cancer Council Australia
title_fullStr Alcohol and cancer: A position statement from Cancer Council Australia
title_full_unstemmed Alcohol and cancer: A position statement from Cancer Council Australia
title_short Alcohol and cancer: A position statement from Cancer Council Australia
title_sort alcohol and cancer: a position statement from cancer council australia
url https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2011/194/9/alcohol-and-cancer-position-statement-cancer-council-australia
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34645