High Alcohol Intake in Adolescence Linked to Aggressiveness of Prostate Cancer Later in Life

Heavy alcohol consumption at an early age may be linked to a 3-fold increased risk of being diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer, according to a new study published in

Cancer Prevention Research.

Previous studies have supported the association between alcohol intake and increased overall cancer risk; however, researchers aimed to investigate whether alcohol consumption during adolescence is associated with more aggressive prostate cancer later in life.

Because the prostate grows rapidly during adolescence, it is potentially more susceptible to carcinogenic exposure, such as alcohol intake, at an early age, the researchers noted.

To analyze the effect of early alcohol consumption on prostate cancer development, the researchers evaluated data from 650 men undergoing prostate biopsy at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center between January 2007 and January 2018. These men had no prior history of prostate cancer and ranged in age from 40 to 89 years old.

The participants completed questionnaires that assessed the average number of alcoholic drinks consumed weekly during each decade of life to determine age-specific and cumulative lifetime alcohol intake.

According to their findings, heavy alcohol intake between the ages of 15 and 19 years was not associated with overall prostate cancer. However, men who consumed at least 7 drinks per week at this age were 3.2 times more likely to be diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer compared with non-drinkers. The researchers found similar associations for those who consumed at least 7 alcohol drinks per week from ages 20 to 29, 30 to 39, and 40 to 49 years as well, resulting in 3.14, 3.09, and 3.64 times the odds of high-grade prostate cancer, respectively.

Read the full article atSpecialtyPharmacyTimes.com.