Alcohol and Cancer Risk (Along With Cancer Symptoms)
Alcohol and cancer risk is greatly concerns many people. After the background section, you’ll find a list of 50 cancers and their symptoms.
Overview
I. Background
II. Cancers
III. Resources
I. Background: Alcohol and Cancer Risk
A. Risk
The major cause of death in most of the world is cardiovascular disease. That is, diseases of the heart and circulation system. But there’s good news. Moderate alcohol drinking lowers that risk by about half. As a result, moderate drinkers tend to live longer than either abstainers or heavy abusive drinkers.
Cancers Covered
Adrenal
Ampullary
Anal
Appendix
Bile Duct
Blood
Bone
Brain
Cervical
Colon
Connective Tissue
Ear
Endometrial
Eye
Fallopian
Gallbladder
Heart
Lacrimal Gland
Liver
Lung
Male Breast
Marrow
Mediastal
Mesothelioma
Nasopharyrnx
Nerve
Ovarian
Pancreatic
Parathyroid
Penile
Peripheral Nerve
Peritoneal
Pineal
Pituitary
Prostate
Rectal
Salivary Gland
Scrotal
Sebaceous
Small Intestine
Spleen
Stomach
Sweat Gland
Testicular
Thymus
Ureteral
Urethral
Uterine
Vaginal
Vulvar
Yet moderate drinking is linked with increased risk of several cancers. These include breast, mouth and throat cancers. The latter two are rare. Of special concern to most people is breast cancer.
Women have a one-in-twenty chance of dying from breast cancer. On the other hand, they have a roughly one-in-two chance of dying from cardiovascular disease. Neither outcome is good. Deciding which chance to take is clearly a very personal decision only a woman herself can make.
In either case, women can reduce the risk of breast cancer by doing two things. One is by taking supplements of folates. Second is by not smoking.
Breast self-examination is the best way to detect possible signs of breast cancer early. Learn how. It’s easy. Remember that the sooner breast cancer is detected, the greater the chance of successful treatment.
These are symptoms of breast cancer:
New lump in a breast or armpit.
Swelling of all or part of a breast.
Irritation, thickening, or dimpling of breast skin.
Nipple pain or a nipple turns inward.
Pain in a breast.
Nipple discharge other than breast milk.
Change in the size or shape of a breast.
B. Drinking Alcohol
Drinking alcohol in moderation reduces the risk of developing kidney, non-Hodgkin, Hodgkins, and thyroid cancers. It has no impact on the risk of developing virtually any other cancers.
On the other hand, heavy drinking is unwise. It’s dangerous to both health and safety. But what is drinking in moderation?
C. Moderation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says moderate drinking is two standard drinks per day for men. And it’s one per day for women. Many medical research scientists define it at higher levels. So do many other countries.
A standard alcoholic drink is any of these.
12-ounce can or bottle of regular beer.
Five-ounce glass of dinner wine.
One shot (one and one-half ounces) of spirits. That’s whiskey, vodka, tequila, rum, gin, etc.
Standard drinks contain the same amounts of pure alcohol. It’s 0.6 of an ounce.
There’s no evidence that any form of alcoholic beverage gives more health benefits. That is, beer, wine, and spirits are equally helpful.
D. Symptoms
Having symptoms does not mean that you have a disease. But it’s better to be safe than sorry. So it’s wise to consult a doctor or nurse about your symptoms.
II. Cancers
Moderate drinking does not increase the risk of developing any of these cancers. That’s according to medical organizations that evaluate the research evidence. (Click on a cancer heading for more information.)
Along with each each cancer is a list of resources. Clicking on a resource title gives more information about that resource.
The adrenal glands produce adrenaline. They also produce other important hormones. These include those involving metabolism, the immune system, blood pressure, sex, and other processes. Therefore, there are many possible symptoms of adrenal gland cancer.
Ampullary cancer forms in an area of the digestive system. It’s called the ampulla of Vater. It’s where the bile duct and pancreatic duct join and empty into the small intestine.
Symptoms of ampullary cancer may include:
Ampulla of Vater
Jaundice or yellowing in the skin and white part of the eyes.
The liver detoxifies the blood, creates proteins and produces chemicals needed for digestion and growth.
Liver cancer usually occurs when an alcohol abuser stops drinking. Then the liver begins rapidly repairing itself. It’s during this very fast growth of cells that cancer begins.
The signs of liver cancer tend to be some of these.
Liver is shown in brown.
Unexpected weight loss.
Loss of appetite.
Upper abdominal pain.
Nausea and vomiting.
General weakness and fatigue.
Abdominal swelling.
Jaundice or yellowing in the skin and white part of the eyes.
The mediastinum separates the lungs and heart. About 40% of people who have mediastinal cancer have no symptoms. Most mediastinal cancers are discovered from imaging for other reasons.
Symptoms often result from the pressure the cancer makes on organs andmay include any of these.
Medistinum
Cough.
Shortness of breath.
Flushing.
Fever.
Chills.
Night sweats.
Coughing up blood.
Hoarseness.
Unexpected weight loss.
Tender lymph nodes.
Wheezing.
High-pitched and noisy breathing.
Eye problems (drooping eyelid, small pupil) on one side of the face.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer in the tissue (mesothelium) that covers most internal organs and lines many body cavities.
Symptoms of methothelioma may be some of these. Specific symptoms depend on which organs are involved. For example, if the lungs are involved, the symptoms may be
Mesothelium
Chest pain.
Painful coughing.
Shortness of breath.
Unusual lumps of tissue under the skin on chest.
Unexpected weight loss.
And if other organs are involved, symptoms may be these.
Ovaries are organs that produce eggs (or ova). One of the deadliest forms of cancer. It is also one of the few for which genetic testing can largely determine a woman’s risk.
The most common signs of ovarian cancer are these.
The pancreas promotes digestion and helps regulate blood sugar. The symptoms of pancreatic cancer don’t usually appear until it’s very advanced. These are some of the signs of possible pancreatic cancer.
Pancreas shown in yellow.
Back or stomach pain.
Abdominal gas and bloating.
Loss of appetite.
Nausea.
Unexpected weight loss.
Jaundice or yellowing in the skin and white part of the eyes.
Diarrhea, constipation, or both.
Sudden onset of type 2 diabetes in people age 50 or older.
The pituitary is an endocrine (hormone-producing) gland. It’s just below the brain, behind the bridge of the nose. This “master gland” controls most other endocrine glands.
Symptoms of pituitary cancer may include one or more of these.
Pituitary Gland
Headaches.
Vision problems.
Unexplained tiredness.
Mood changes.
Irritability.
Changes in menstrual cycles in women.
Erectile dysfunction in men.
Inability to have children.
Inappropriate breast growth or production of breast milk
The prostate makes fluid that both nourishes and protects sperm. During ejaculation, the prostate squeezes this fluid into the urethra. It’s expelled with sperm as semen.
Symptoms that might indicate prostate cancer include these.
Prostate
Frequent urination, especially at night.
Difficulty starting or stopping urination.
Weak or interrupted flow of urine.
Blood in urine or semen.
Painful ejaculation.
Difficulty having erections.
Frequent pain or stiffness in lower back, hips, or upper thighs.
The small intestine is where 90% of the digestion and absorption of vitamins and minerals occurs. The other 10% takes place in the stomach and large intestine.
Symptoms of small intestine cancer are these.
Small intestine surrounded by large intestine shown in green.
Blood in the stool.
Dark/black stools.
Diarrhea.
A lump in the abdomen.
Pain or cramps in the abdomen.
Unexpected weight loss.
Episodes of abdominal pain. Often with severe nausea or vomiting.
This cancer most often occurs during puberty or later. It usually appears on eyelids or around the eyes. However, it may appear on arm pits, lower abdomen, or vulva
Many people confuse the vagina (sometimes called the birth canal) with the vulva. However, the vulva refers to those parts of the reproductive system outside or exterior to the vagina. See the section on vulvar cancer for more.
These readings and are for patients and their loved ones. Or for anyone else wanting to learn more about cancer. (They don’t deal with drinking alcohol and cancer risk.)