Drinking Alchohol Increases Odds of Breast Cancer Recurrence

Results of the Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE) study of 1,897 women suggest that drinking alcohol may increase the likelihood of disease recurrence. Marilyn L Kwan and colleagues studied data obtained from women who had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer between 1997 and 2000. After an average follow-up of 7.4 years 293 breast cancer recurrences and 273 deaths had occurred. Results showed that women who drank ≥ 6 grams of alcohol per day (equivalent to 3-4 alcoholic drinks per week) had an increased risk of breast cancer recurrence and death due to breast cancer compared to women who drank less alcohol. The association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer recurrence and death was particularly strong amongst postmenopausal and overweight/obese women. However, the results also suggested that drinking alcohol was “possibly” associated with a decreased risk of death from causes other than breast cancer. The authors concluded: “Consuming three to four alcoholic drinks or more per week after a breast cancer diagnosis may increase risk of breast cancer recurrence, particularly among postmenopausal and overweight/obese women, yet the cardioprotective effects of alcohol on non–breast cancer death were suggested.”