Increased alcohol consumption among post-menopausal women is associated with higher mortality

1. Among postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer, alcohol reduction or cessation was not associated with a decrease in all-cause mortality, whereas increasing consumption among women consuming ≥ 1 drink/day pre-diagnosis was associated with higher mortality.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

While alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for breast cancer, the relationship between alcohol consumption and breast cancer survival remains unclear. This study thus examined the association between change in alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality among breast cancer survivors. This prospective cohort study included postmenopausal women in the US diagnosed with non-metastatic invasive breast cancer who consumed alcohol before diagnosis. Change in alcohol consumption was assessed at three time intervals: pre-diagnosis, pre- to post-diagnosis, and post-diagnosis. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. In total, 1,558 participants were included in the study (mean age-at-diagnosis: 71 years). Over a median follow-up of 12.6 years, 750 deaths occurred, of which 130 were breast cancer-related deaths. Across all change time intervals, reduced and increased alcoholic consumption were not associated with all-cause mortality. Compared to stable consumption, alcohol cessation pre- to post-diagnosis was associated with a 39% increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR:1.39, CI:1.12–1.73). Alcohol cessation pre- and post-diagnosis was not significantly associated with all-cause mortality compared to stable alcohol consumption. Among women consuming ≥ 1 drink/day pre-diagnosis, increasing consumption was associated with an 83% higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR:1.83, 95%CI:1.02–3.31). Overall, this study found that among postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer, alcohol reduction or cessation was not associated with a decrease in all-cause mortality, whereas increasing consumption among women consuming ≥ 1 drink/day pre-diagnosis was associated with higher mortality. Future studies should address study limitations, including uncontrolled confounding and low prevalence of heavy alcohol consumption in the study population.

Click here to read this study in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment

Citation: Rees S, Bodelon C, Chakraborty S, Millen AE, Wang Y, Faw K, et al. Change in alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality among postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2026 Oct 23;220(1):14. doi: 10.1007/s10549-026-08113-1. PMID: 42909681; PMCID: PMC13694358.

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