Publication of IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention Volume 20A: Reduction or Cessation of Alcoholic Beverage Consumption

4 July 2024

Volume 20A: Reduction or Cessation of Alcoholic Beverage Consumption of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Handbooks of Cancer Prevention series is now available online.

A Working Group of 15 independent international experts, convened by IARC from February to May 2023, evaluated the body of literature assessing the effectiveness of reduction or cessation of alcoholic beverage consumption in reducing risk of alcohol-related cancers.

The Working Group reviewed and summarized the available epidemiological evidence and provided evidence-based evaluations of the effectiveness of reduction or cessation of alcohol consumption in reducing risk of cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, colorectum, liver, and female breast. The Working Group also identified and evaluated the mechanisms of alcohol-related carcinogenesis that may be reversed upon cessation.

To complement the evaluations, IARC Handbooks Volume 20A presents background information on the alcohol-related cancer burden worldwide, the population attributable fraction of alcohol-related cancers, and determinants of cessation.

View IARC Handbooks Volume 20A 

View infographic of the Volume 20A outcomes 

Read more about the IARC Handbooks programme