Alcohol Consumption May Increase Pancreatic Cancer Risk

Consuming two or more drinks per day could increase a person’s risk of pancreatic cancer by about 22 percent, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“Our findings support multiple nutrition recommendations that men should limit intake to no more than two alcoholic beverages per day and women should limit intake to no more than one,” said lead author Jeanine M. Genkinger, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, four ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled liquor.

Genkinger and colleagues conducted a pooled analysis of the primary data from 14 research studies, for a population that included 862,664 individuals. Researchers identified 2,187 individuals diagnosed with pancreatic cancer during the study.

“This is one of the largest studies ever to look at dietary factors in relation to pancreatic cancer risk,” said Genkinger.

If individuals consumed 30 or more grams of alcohol per day, compared with no alcohol per day, their risk of pancreatic cancer increased by 22 percent.

No difference was observed by type of alcohol, according to Genkinger.

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes more than 28,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and 80 other countries.

The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants.

The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care. The AACR publishes five major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

The AACR’s most recent publication and its sixth major journal, Cancer Prevention Research, is dedicated exclusively to cancer prevention, from preclinical research to clinical trials. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors and their families, patient advocates, physicians and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship and advocacy.