Despite some trends suggesting that high alcohol use and high UV exposure may be associated with risk for early onset BCC in women, there is no statistically significant association between lifetime alcohol intake and early-onset BCC overall or in women only, new data from the British Journal of Dermatology show.

Previous epidemiological studies of overall alcohol intake and BCC have offered some evidence for increased skin cancer risk, with differences based on type of alcoholic beverage.

Researchers compared BCC cases (n = 380) and controls with benign skin conditions (n = 390) under 40 years of age through Yale Dermatopathology. Participants provided information on lifetime alcohol intake, including type of beverage, during an in-person interview. Self-reported data on indoor tanning and outdoor sunbathing were used to categorize UV exposure.

Intake of red wine, white wine, beer or spirits and mixed drinks was not associated with early-onset BCC.

While it is hypothesized that alcohol may enhance the carcinogenicity of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, this has not been evaluated in existing epidemiological studies.