Alcohol may be linked to a risk of non melanoma skin cancers

Exposure to UV radiation is considered the primary risk factor for both basal and squamous cell carcinoma, new research suggests alcohol may also play a role.

Dr Eunyoung Cho, senior author and colleagues of Brown University and Harvard Medical School conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 307 studies.  The final analysis included 13 case control and cohort studies which involved 91,942 cases of basal cell carcinoma and 3,299 cases of squamous cell carcinoma.

The research published in the British Journal of Dermatology suggested that every 10 gram increase in alcohol consumed each day was associated with a 7% increased risk of basal cell carcinoma and every 10 gram increase in alcohol consumed each day was associated with an 11% increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma.

NOTE:  The researchers state that their findings should be interpreted with caution as there are several limitations to the review.  However they believe that the results could have significant public health implications.