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Doctors are calling for tobacco-style warnings on alcohol after new figures show the devastating effects of over-consumption. Heavy drinking by young adults has contributed to a surge in the cases of oral cancer in the last decade.
Rates of cancer of the lip, tongue, mouth and throat have risen by a quarter among men and women in their forties, with alcohol now a higher risk factor than smoking, according to research by Cancer Research UK.
The figures show that since the mid-1990s oral cancer cases have risen by 24 percent for women and 28 percent for men, with an overall increase of 45 percent across all age groups.
Health professionals warned yesterday that rates would only continue to rise the widespread binge-drinking culture was not addressed. Don Shenker, the chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said that it was time for the introduction of tobacco-style health warnings on alcohol. "Many people are not aware of the connection between alcohol and cancer, yet it can be a major contributor or cause of the disease," he said.
Hazel Nunn, the health information manager for Cancer Research UK, said: "These figures are really alarming. Alcohol consumption has doubled since the 1950s and the trend we are seeing is likely to be linked to continually rising drinking levels."
Source: Times Online
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