Alcohol and the global burden of cancer: what are we missing?
Menée à partir de données 2010 sur la consommation d'alcool et à partir des données de "GLOBOCAN 2020", cette étude estime la part des cancers attribuable à la consommation d'alcool dans le monde afin d'encourager la mise en place de politiques de sensibilisation
By use of aggregated commercial sales and self-reported alcohol use data, Harriet Rumgay and colleagues provide updated estimates of the global burden of cancer attributable to alcohol consumption in The Lancet Oncology. 1 These estimates, based on standard measures, are useful since patterns of alcohol consumption change over time. They found that alcohol use was associated with a substantial burden of cancer globally (741 300 [95% uncertainty interval 558 500–951 200] cases of cancer attributable to alcohol consumption) with large geographical variations. Although heavy drinking (>60 g per day) contributed the most (346 400 [95% uncertainty interval 227 900–489 400] cases), light-to-moderate drinking also played a part (103 100 [82 600–207 200] cases for moderate drinking [<20 g per day] and 41 300 [35 400–145 800] cases for those drinking up to 10 g per day). When former drinking was included, estimates increased. The authors note that excise taxes and limiting access and hours of operation could reduce this burden. I would add that, at a patient level, combining counselling and medication can be effective. 2 However, achieving a solid understanding of the burden of cancer associated with alcohol use, underlying mechanisms, and how best to intervene rely on accurate measures of alcohol exposure.