Are patients with alcohol-related cancers (ARCs) more likely to quit drinking than the general population? Results of a national population-based survey.

e18716 Background: Alcohol is a known carcinogen, predisposing to a variety of cancers. While abstinence may reduce the risk of recurrence of these tumors, it is unclear whether patients diagnosed with an alcohol related cancer (ARC) are more likely to quit than the general population. Methods: We utilized the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) dataset to compare the rate of quitting drinking between those with ARCs (mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, stomach, colon/rectum, breast, and pancreas) versus the general population. Results: In 2020, the NHIS surveyed 31,512 people, representing 251,697,992 in the population. Of these, 2.56% reported having been diagnosed with an ARC in the past. The proportion of people who had consumed alcohol at least once in their lives was similar between those with ARC and the general population (87.57% vs. 86.86%, p = 0.625); however, among those who had ever drunk, those with ARC were more likely to state they had not consumed any alcohol in the past 12 months (33.92% vs. 19.85%, p < 0.001). Patients diagnosed with an ARC were more likely to be white (75.43% vs. 63.34%), older than 65 (58.72% vs. 19.30%), with annual household income < $35,000 (32.56% vs. 22.92%) and a lower rate of private health insurance (48.12% vs. 62.08%), all p < 0.001. Controlling for these sociodemographic factors, among ever-drinkers, those with an ARC were still more likely to report having quit drinking (OR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.00-1.44, p = 0.046). Of note, however, 5.95% of people with ARCs remained current heavy drinkers (similar to those without ARCs 5.98%, p = 0.977). Among people with ARCs, those who were older than 65 (69.31% vs. 59.10%, p < 0.001), with less than a high school education (20.63% vs. 6.02%, p = 0.001), public insurance (49.27% vs. 32.65%, p = 0.001), and annual household income < $35,000 (44.40% vs. 23.34%, p < 0.001) were less likely to continue to drink. On multivariate analysis, age (p < 0.001), education (p = 0.019) and income (p < 0.001) remained independent predictors of continuing to drink among ARC survivors. Conclusions: While patients with ARCs are more likely to have quit drinking than the general population, nearly two thirds of patients diagnosed with ARCs continue to consume alcohol, with nearly 6% being heavy drinkers. ARC survivors who continue to drink tend to be well-educated, affluent and well-insured; it may therefore behoove clinicians not to neglect educating this population on the merits of abstaining from alcohol after an ARC.