Association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer incidence and prognosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

While alcohol consumption appears to influence the incidence of breast cancer, its association with prognosis after a breast cancer diagnosis remains less established. A meta-analysis aimed to explore the association between alcohol consumption on both breast cancer incidence and outcomes. A systematic literature search was conducted up to May 1st, 2025 (CRD42025593784). Retrospective and prospective studies reporting breast cancer incidence, recurrences, and survival outcomes in women with history of alcohol consumption were included. Analyses according to alcohol intake levels (light, intermediate, heavy consumption) were performed. Main outcomes were breast cancer incidence, breast cancer recurrences, breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS), and overall survival (OS).
The meta-analysis included 37 studies with 2,565,920 female participants. Among 17 studies any alcohol consumption was associated with an increased breast cancer incidence (RR 1.17, 95%CI 1.09–1.26). Breast cancer incidence increased proportionally with higher levels of alcohol consumption: light RR 1.13 (95%CI 1.05–1.23), intermediate RR 1.28 (95%CI 1.18–1.39), and heavy consumption RR 1.52 (95%CI 1.38–1.67).
Among 20 studies assessing breast cancer outcomes, no associations were found between alcohol consumption and breast cancer recurrences (RR 1.02, 95%CI 0.93–1.11) nor BCSS (HR 0.93, 95%CI 0.87–1.00), while light and intermediate alcohol consumption were associated with slightly improved OS: HR 0.85 (95%CI 0.78–0.92; p < 0.001) and HR 0.84 (95%CI 0.75–0.94; p = 0.002), respectively.
Among over 2.5 million women, alcohol consumption was associated with a dose-dependent increased risk of breast cancer, while alcohol consumption did not appear to worsen prognosis in patients with prior breast cancer diagnosis.
Source: Arecco L, Cacilhas PM, Bobato Lara Gismondi C, Bruzzone M, Gentile G, Gerosa R, Blondeaux E, Agostinetto E, Dauccia C, Lobo-Martins S, Grochot R, Saini KS, Azim HA Jr, Debiasi M, De Caluwé A, Buisseret L, Del Mastro L, Lambertini M, de Azambuja E. Association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer incidence and prognosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Breast. 2026 Feb 5;86:104719.