Alcohol and cancer

Based on various epidemiological reports and case-control studies an association exists between prolonged and increased alcohol consumption and enhanced risk for tumors in a variety of organs such as oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, colon, rectum, liver and mamma. There is no firm or only an insufficiently documented association between alcohol consumption and malignancies of stomach, small intestine, pancreas, lungs, thyreoidea, skin, prostate and bladder. Smoking of cigarettes is a supraadditive risk factor for tumor development in association with chronic alcohol consumption. There is good evidence that alcohol predisposes for cancer due to local mucosal damage associated with an increased uptake of carcinogens. Based on its simple chemical structure and its failure to bind covalently to DNA ethanol it is not expected to be a carcinogen by itself. During microsomal metabolism of ethanol, however, toxic compounds SUCh as acetaldehyde, hydroxyethyl radicals, ethoxy radicals, acetyl radicals, superoxid radicals, and hydroxyl radicals are being formed, all of which exhibit a pronounced affinity to DNA facilitating covalent binding. A major role play the known procarcinogens and carcinogens which also covalently bind to DNA, promoting thereby the development of tumor cells. Procarcinogens and carcinogens reach the body from the outside via tabacco smoke, food and alcoholic beverages. Additional pathogenetic mechanisms include metabolic interactions through enzyme induction due to ethanol, malnutrition, viral infections and alterations of the immune system.