New Delhi: Researchers at AIIMS have called for strong, evidence-based cancer warning labels on alcohol products, citing parallels with India’s success in tobacco labelling and a steep rise in cancer cases.
In an opinion piece published in *Frontiers in Public Health* on July 24, oncologists Dr Abhishek Shankar, Dr Vaibhav Sahni, and Dr Deepak Saini from the Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, AIIMS Delhi, described alcohol as a proven carcinogen, yet under-recognised by the public.
They highlighted that adolescence is a key period for the onset of alcohol use, and warning labels could help shift behaviour—especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). India saw a 36 per cent rise in cancer cases from 2012 to 2022, with GLOBOCAN 2022 recording 1.41 million new cases and over 916,000 deaths.
Alcohol contributes to approximately 4.7 per cent of cancer cases in India, and 6.6 per cent of all DALYs, second only to tobacco. The researchers also referenced a January 2025 advisory by the US Surgeon General warning of alcohol’s links to at least seven cancers. They recommend dual tobacco–alcohol warnings and more constructive labels guiding consumers towards medical help, rather than only fear-based messaging. Combined use of tobacco and alcohol, they added, has a multiplicative effect on cancer risk.