Tobacco & Alcohol: Synergistic Risk of Esophageal Cancer

Combining tobacco products with alcohol increases your risk of cancer of the esophagus between 5 and 10 times. This is because the alcohol acts as a solvent, helping the tobacco carcinogens to penetrate the cells of the esophagus. In addition, alcohol can damage the DNA of the cells in the esophagus, making them more susceptible to the effects of tobacco carcinogens.