Cancer Survivors Commonly Engage in Risky Drinking, Study Suggests

Alcohol consumption and risky drinking behaviors are prevalent among both cancer survivors and patients who have received cancer treatment within the past year, according to astudy published today inJAMA Network Open.“Alcohol consumption, which is ubiquitous in the U.S. and causally linked with multiple types of cancer … is also associated with adverse health outcomes among individuals with a diagnosis of cancer, including higher risks of recurrence or onset of new primary cancers as well as death,” wrote Mengyao Shi, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., of Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine and colleagues. “In addition, alcohol is associated with worsened treatment outcomes, such as decreased effectiveness and increased risk of complications.”Shi and colleagues identified cancer survivors among the 142,100 participants enrolled in the National Institutes of Health ’sAll of Us Research Program. The program collects data using survey responses and electronic health record data. The participants self-reported cancer diagnoses; age at cancer diagnosis; and current treatment status, including if they were currently receiving treatment for cancer. Further, the authors used linked electronic health record data to identify participants who underwent cancer treatment anytime in the year leading up to the survey.As part of the All of Us Research surveys, participants were asked about their alcohol consumption. Those who had had at least one drink in their lifetime but repor...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: alcohol alcohol consumption All of Us Research program binge drinking cancer survivors risky drinking Source Type: research