Alcohol abstinence
Avoiding or limiting alcohol consumption is especially important for patients who have a history of cancer of the gastrointestinal tract or head and neck region.
For example:
- Data shows that patients with head and neck cancer who continued to drink 15 servings or more every week have approximately four times the risk of developing a second cancer compared to those patients who avoided alcohol.
- In addition, patients who continue to drink experience a higher risk of other medical problems such as lung and heart diseases.
For women:
- It has been shown that even just one drink a day of alcohol is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
A recent study suggests that consuming 3-4 alcoholic drinks or more a day increases the risk of relapse in women with a history of breast cancer, especially in women who are postmenopausal, and/or are overweight.
