Launch of Volume 20 of the International Agency for Research on Cancer Handbooks of Cancer Prevention: meeting report, 14 October 2025

Overview

Alcohol consumption is a significant public health challenge, intricately linked to a wide range of health risks, including cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified alcoholic beverages as Group 1 carcinogens, confirming the strong evidence of their role in causing several types of cancer, including those of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectum and female breast. The European Union (EU) is the subregion with the highest level of alcohol consumption in the world, and where cancer is the second-leading cause of death. Strong alcohol policies save lives, save money, take effect quickly and are smart investments in public health, but implementation is lagging behind. In 2024/2025, IARC published Volume 20 of the IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention on the impact on cancer of reduction or cessation of alcohol consumption (Volume 20A) and the effectiveness of alcohol policies (Volume 20B). The new Volume was officially launched at UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark on 14 October 2025, during a two-day, high-level event convened by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and IARC within the scope of the WHO–EU Evidence into Action Alcohol Project. This is the summary report of that meeting