Date: 5/19/26
Name of podcast: Dr. Patient
Episode title and number: 32 Last Call: Alcohol, Breast Cancer and the Advice Gap

Episode summary:

In this episode of the Dr. Paitnet Podcast, I’m going to be exploring the growing disconnect between what decades of breast cancer research shows and what women are told in the exam room when it comes to alcohol. Some women are told an occasional drink is fine. Others are told to avoid alcohol entirely. Many are never counseled on the topic at all. As both a physician and a breast cancer survivor, I found myself increasingly unsettled by how inconsistent these conversations remain despite years of established research linking alcohol to breast cancer risk.

But let me just say that this episode is not about shame, judgment or fear-based messaging. I want you to understand how research moves, or sometimes fails to move, from medical journals into the conversation that you have with your doctor.

References:

Bagnardi meta-analysis from 2015: https://www.annalsofoncology.org/article/S0923-7534%2819%2936858-9/fulltext

Article on alcohol affecting young womens' breast tissue: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19409844/

Study looking at what % of US adults know alcohol is a risk for cancer: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2834641?utm_source=openevidence&utm_medium=referral#google_vignette

What % of US doctors ask patients about alcohol use: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32163383/

News article links:

Sorry, some of these will have paywalls you'll have to get through:

WaPo 2022 https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/09/19/alcohol-cancer-risk-labels/

WHO statement that no amount of alcohol is safe https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health

NYTimes 2023 Even a little alcohol can harm your health https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/13/well/mind/alcohol-health-effects.html

Podcast website: www.drpatientpodcast.com

Podcast email, become a guest: drpatientpodcast@gmail.com