The factors underpinning cancer incidence and mortality are multiple and complex. While genetic risk factors for developing cancer can be attributed to a proportion of cancer incidences across a number of cancer sites, lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol use, diet and obesity impact significantly upon cancer incidence and are considerably more important.

P.11 Recommendations for tobacco and alcohol:
Tobacco
1. Reduce smoking rates among men in the Republic of Ireland through targeted campaigns informing men of the risks and range of cancers attributable to tobacco use and through targeted smoking cessation initiatives
2. Target men of lower socioeconomic status for smoking cessation programmes and initiatives

Alcohol
1. The recommendations of the Steering Group Report On a National Substance Misuse Strategy should be implemented in full with a particular focus on applying a gender lens across the four key pillars: ‘Supply’, ‘Prevention’, Treatment & Rehabilitation’ and ‘Research’.
2. The recommendations from the Strategic Taskforce on Alcohol should be implemented in full with a particular focus on applying a gender lens across the ten key strategy areas. There should be a specific focus on raising men’s awareness of the risks associated with the development of alcohol related cancers.
3. Increase efforts to reduce alcohol consumption in male sub- populations with high prevalence of alcohol consumption, particularly lower socio-economic groups.