Alcohol use spikes oral cancer risk: Study

The study showed that people who consume alcohol have a 68% higher risk of developing oral cancer compared to non-drinkers, with the risk rising to 81% among those consuming more than nine grams of alcohol a day

MUMBAI: Alcohol consumption significantly raises the risk of oral cavity cancer, especially among users of locally brewed liquor, according to the findings of a large, multi-centre study by the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC).

Alcohol use spikes oral cancer risk: Study

The study showed that people who consume alcohol have a 68% higher risk of developing oral cancer compared to non-drinkers, with the risk rising to 81% among those consuming more than nine grams of alcohol a day.

Persons consuming locally brewed drinks such as ‘tharra’ and ‘desi daru’ were at highest risk, while researchers also highlighted the compounded danger when alcohol use is combined with tobacco consumption.

The findings emerged from one of the largest case-control studies of its kind in India, published in BMJ Global Health on Wednesday. Researchers analysed data from 3,706 men, including 1,803 patients with histopathologically confirmed buccal mucosa cancer and 1,903 cancer-free controls recruited between 2010 and 2021 from hospitals under the Tata Memorial Centre network, including Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel; Kharghar-based ACTREC, a research centre of the Tata Memorial Centre (I’ve added this, please vet. We need to qualify the institute); and a specialised liver cancer centre.

The study focused on identifying determinants of buccal mucosa cancer, the most common form of oral cancer in India.

India bears one of the world’s highest oral cancer burdens, with close to 4 lakh new cases reported annually. Rates are disproportionately higher among men, with about 15 men per 100,000 developing oral cancer each year, compared to five women. Survival remains poor, with fewer than four in 10 patients surviving beyond five years, largely due to late diagnosis and gaps in access to timely care.

A key finding of the study is that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption when it comes to oral cancer risk. Even people consuming less than nine grams of alcohol per day, roughly equivalent to a single small drink or about 180 ml, showed a significantly elevated risk.

“People usually believe that a small amount of alcohol is okay. This study clearly shows that such assumptions are misleading,” said Dr Rajesh Dikshit, director, Centre for Cancer Epidemiology, ACTREC. “It is not about quantity. Any risk that goes above one is an increased risk.”

Researchers examined consumption patterns across 11 internationally recognised alcoholic beverages and 30 locally brewed types of liquor. While all forms of alcohol were associated with increased cancer risk, unregulated local liquor emerged as particularly harmful. ‘Tharra’ use showed more than a three-fold increase in oral cancer risk, while ‘desi daru’ and ‘mahua’ were also linked to substantially higher odds compared to non-drinkers.

Dr Sharayu Mhatre, scientific officer at ACTREC and lead senior author, said the findings highlight the scope for prevention. “Our study demonstrates that even a single drink a day can increase the risk of oral cancer. Alcohol is a modifiable risk factor, and avoiding it along with tobacco can dramatically reduce disease burden,” she said.

Calling for stronger policy intervention, Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, director of ACTREC, said India urgently needs a comprehensive alcohol control framework. “Alcohol is widely glamorised, while locally brewed and unregulated products remain easily accessible. Strengthening alcohol and tobacco control policies could prevent a large proportion of oral cancers over the next decade,” he said.