Alcohol consumption increases the risk of invasive melanoma among white men and women, according to a recent study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
For the study, researchers examined data from three large prospective cohort studies, collectively involving 210,252 participants followed for an average of 18.3 years. Alcohol consumption among the cohort was determined by dietary questionnaires. For the purposes of the study, a standard drink was determined to be 12.8 grams of alcohol. Non-whites were excluded from the study because there were too few non-white participants to validate statistically significant conclusions.
Analysis revealed individuals who consumed 20 grams or more of alcohol per day were 2 percent more likely to be diagnosed with melanomas of the head, neck or extremities, and 73 percent more likely to develop melanomas of the trunk. When assessing the relationship between specific alcoholic beverages and melanoma, white wine was the only beverage dependently associated with increased risk of melanoma, attributable to a 13 percent risk increase per drink when assessed for a participant's cumulative daily average.
Eunyoung Cho, an associate professor of dermatology and epidemiology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, R.I., described the findings regarding white wine as surprising. Though the reason for this association is unknown, Dr. Cho said some wine has somewhat higher levels of the chemical acetaldehyde than beer or spirits and that the antioxidants in red wine may offset the health risks created by the chemical.
"The clinical and biological significance of these findings remains to be determined, but for motivated individuals with other strong risk factors for melanoma, counseling regarding alcohol use may be an appropriate risk-reduction strategy to reduce risks of melanoma as well as other cancers," said Dr. Cho. "For drinkers, risks and benefits of alcohol consumption have to be considered individually, including the risk related to skin cancer."
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