We are board-certified in oncology and may as well be board-certified in whiskey, so we are uniquely positioned to give some perspective on this topic in light of guidelines published today linking alcohol and cancer (LoConte NK, et al. J Clin Oncol 2017). (1) data linking alcohol consumption and cancer is mostly retrospective epidemiological. This means establishing cause-effect is rife with error. (2) alcohol is commonly consumed along with other known risk factors (e.g.: tobacco), marring effect of alcohol vs other contributor(s). (3) definition of alcohol use varies widely in U.S. and abroad; lumped in with alcohol use is binge drinking – a separate risk factor for many health maladies. (4) the cause of most all cancers is not well-elucidated (except for tobacco) and ascribing a single activity as a risk factor is dangerous. We at BourbonScript do not espouse excessive drinking, but thoughtful consumption. Also, living a healthy lifestyle has many benefits. This text is not meant to diminish the ASCO statement, but simply add granularity to a very complex issue.
For those interested in the complete article, it is available here: http://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/JCO.2017.76.1155
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