Alcohol and alcohol-related deficiencies as carcinogens.
From the available evidence, alsohol ingestion per se does not appear to be carcinogenic. While alcoholism constitutes a major and serious social problem, it is not clear to what extent it constitutes a major health problem. We suggest that excessive alcohol ingestion coupled with a nutritional deficiency or some other insult (e.g., smoking) may be carcinogenic. Alcohol and/or several nutritional deficiencies usually associated with alcoholism have been shown to be immunosuppressive. The relationship between immunoincompetency and neoplasia has long been appreciated, and the exact role that alcohol and/or nutritional insults have in this relationship requires further investigation.
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D012907:Smoking; D013832:Thiamine Deficiency / Q000150:complications; D026681:Vitamin B 6 Deficiency / Q000150:complications
D000431:Ethanol