Many Cancer Patients Turn To Binge Drinking — Even During Treatment, New Study Finds
A new study found that more than 77% of adults diagnosed with cancer turned to alcohol to cope
A significant number of cancer patients coping with their diagnosis turn to alcohol consumption, with many considering themselves binge drinkers, according to a new study.
On Thursday, the JAMA Network Open released a study that looked at the alcohol consumption of 15,199 participants who were diagnosed with cancer, with 1,839 of those patients undergoing treatment including chemotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy.
Researchers found that 77.7% of adults with cancer self-reported as current drinkers. Among those, 13% exceeded moderate drinking, 23.8% reported binge drinking, and 38.3% engaged in hazardous drinking — based on a standardized test, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption.
“It is so difficult to hear of and live with a cancer diagnosis. There are feelings of isolation and fear, and alcohol can help dull those feelings,” Dr. Marleen I. Meyers, an oncologist at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, told The Post.
“The stress of treatment and inadequate pain management can cause sleep troubles, extreme fatigue and feelings of loneliness and social isolation,” Meyers added. “All of these can be risk factors for substance abuse.”
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The study also detailed the health risks that can come with increased alcohol consumption among cancer patients. In an analysis involving 209,597 cancer survivors, alcohol consumption was associated with a 17% increased risk of cancer recurrence and an 8% increased risk of overall mortality, according to the report.
Additionally, alcohol use worsens post-surgical outcomes, including increased risk of surgical complications, longer hospitalizations, more surgical procedures, prolonged recovery, and more.
“These substances can interfere with treatment by interfering with metabolism of certain drugs that may make them less effective or more toxic,” Meyers told the outlet.
“In addition, pain medications and anti-anxiety medications may be prescribed without the practitioner being aware of the survivor’s substance abuse, and this can increase the effects of these drugs and cause impairment,” she added. “Impairment from substance abuse may make patients less aware of certain symptoms such as fever that may be life-threatening.”
Researchers advise clinicians to collect information about their cancer patients’ alcohol consumption and explain the potential harm that can come from drinking.
They also stress the importance of providing support and guidance to patients who are identified as alcohol users.
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