10.02.2025 - The EU Country Cancer Profiles Synthesis Report 2025, published by the OECD and the European Commission, provides a comprehensive overview of cancer trends, risk factors, and prevention efforts across the European Union, Iceland, and Norway. Among its many findings, the report reinforces the role of preventable risk factors, including alcohol consumption, in contributing to the cancer burden.
Alcohol consumption trends in the EU
Alcohol remains a significant cancer risk factor, though trends in consumption vary across EU countries. According to the report, the average alcohol consumption in the EU in 2022 was 10.0 litres per person aged 15 and over. While overall alcohol consumption has decreased slightly—by 0.3 litres per person between 2010 and 2022—this figure hides large disparities. Some countries, including Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, and Lithuania, reported a decline of 10% or more in alcohol consumption. In contrast, Bulgaria, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania, and Spain experienced increases of 10% or more during the same period.
Alcohol and cancer risk
The report highlights that alcohol consumption is directly linked to cancer risk, particularly cancers of the breast, liver, colorectum, and upper aerodigestive tract. Breast cancer incidence, for instance, is noted to be influenced by alcohol consumption, obesity, and genetic factors. This aligns with previous evidence that alcohol acts as a carcinogen, increasing the risk of multiple cancer types through various biological mechanisms.
While tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of cancer deaths in Europe, alcohol is a significant contributor to cancer incidence. If alcohol consumption targets were met across the EU, an estimated one million cancer cases could be prevented between 2023 and 2050. This figure underscores the importance of alcohol reduction strategies as part of broader cancer prevention efforts.
Policy implications and prevention efforts
Recognizing the link between alcohol and cancer, several EU countries have adopted policies aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm. Some of the most effective strategies include:
Minimum unit pricing (MUP): First implemented in the Slovak Republic in 2011 and later in Ireland in 2022, MUP targets cheap, high-strength alcohol products to curb excessive drinking.
Advertising bans: Lithuania’s 2018 ban on alcohol advertising, including on social media, represents one of the strictest regulations in the EU.
Awareness campaigns: Many countries have launched public health initiatives to educate consumers about the health risks of alcohol.
Despite these efforts, alcohol-related cancer prevention remains an underutilized strategy in many EU countries. The report suggests that further investments in policy-driven interventions could significantly reduce the cancer burden.
Alcohol in the context of other risk factors
While the report underscores alcohol’s role in cancer risk, it also points to other preventable factors such as tobacco use, obesity, poor diet, and air pollution. Encouragingly, smoking rates have declined across almost all EU countries over the past decade, and HPV vaccination programmes are expanding to reduce the risk of cervical cancer. However, overweight and obesity rates are increasing, particularly among adolescents, highlighting the need for stronger prevention efforts across multiple lifestyle-related risk factors.
The EU Country Cancer Profiles Synthesis Report 2025 provides a crucial reminder that cancer prevention must extend beyond medical treatment to include effective policies targeting known risk factors. Alcohol consumption remains a modifiable risk factor with the potential for significant public health impact. While some EU countries have made strides in reducing alcohol consumption, a stronger commitment to prevention policies is needed to curb alcohol-related cancer cases in the coming decades.
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