The proportion of alcohol-related deaths from cancer in Ireland is higher than the European average, according to a new study, which calculated Ireland’s cancer incidence and mortality rates attributable to alcohol over a 10-year period between 2001 and 2010.

The study, published in the Irish Medical Journal, says the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer of the upper aero-digestive tract is greatest, with more than a doubling in risk from an average consumption of 50g of pure alcohol per day. For female breast cancer, each additional 10g of pure alcohol per day is associated with a 7 per cent increase in relative risk. For colorectal cancer, consumption of 50g per day increases the risk by 10-to-20 per cent......