Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research

📝New study strengthens alcohol's link to deadly pancreatic cancer📝

Read on for details on a CISUR-led study, published in the International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, that found a dose-response relationship between drinking and pancreatic cancer, a particularly deadly form of the disease. Read the news release: https://news.uvic.ca/media-release/alcohols-link-to-deadly-pancreatic-cancer/

Does alcohol increase the risk of pancreatic cancer?

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently links seven types of cancer including breast, colon, and mouth cancer with alcohol consumption. Pancreatic cancer is currently not on that list.

However, a new study out of UVic’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) contributes to mounting evidence of alcohol’s link to this particularly deadly form of cancer. After controlling for “former drinker” bias in an analysis of multiple previous studies, researchers found that drinking more than 24 grams of alcohol per day (a little under two standard Canadian drinks) was associated with a 10-30 percent increase in risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

💬 “After rigorously analyzing the existing evidence, we strongly believe it’s time to add pancreatic cancer to the list of alcohol-related cancers.” - Tim Naimi, CISUR director and an author of the study.

🔗 Learn more: https://ow.ly/CX6850ZcmYW

📸 Photo: Tim Naimi, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) director.

Coming up next week!

Join us June 17 to learn about Canada’s healthcare impacts and costs related to substance use!

We’ll be releasing the latest Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms (CSUCH) – Healthcare report very soon. Join us for a webinar exploring the data and discover how it can help policymakers, healthcare system planners and public health professionals make more informed decisions to reduce harms and improve responses.

Register now! https://ow.ly/E8hi50Z9134

A new practice brief from CISUR/CoLab: "Policing, Overdose Prevention Services and Drug Policy."https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/cisur/assets/docs/colab/policing-harm-reduction-services_brief.pdf

Read on to learn what provincial guidelines say about policing at overdose prevention services, and what the evidence says about how police presence can impact these services.

Join us on Wednesday, June 10 for the Harold Johnson "Changing the Alcohol Story Award and Talk."

The Harold Johnson Award is for an individual or group who has worked tirelessly and fearlessly to change the story about alcohol in order to prevent or reduce its harmful consequences on people and populations. This year's recipients are Joan Johnson and Andrea Cowan, in recognition of their work on Saskatchewan's Northern Alcohol Strategy.

Details and RSVP: https://events.uvic.ca/cisur/event/107839-harold-johnson-award-and-talk Note this event is in-person only at UVic.

Today the Office of the Provincial Health Officer launched Living Well, Drinking Less: Reducing Alcohol Harms in BC, a report documenting alcohol’s impact on British Columbians that drew on research expertise and data from CISUR.

Our director Tim Naimi was on hand with Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C. provincial health officer and Dr. Martin Lavoie, deputy provincial health officer, for the report launch.

It offers several policy recommendations for government, including developing a provincial alcohol strategy, strengthening minimum unit pricing, and adopting warning labels on alcohol containers.

Read more: https://news.uvic.ca/media-release/bc-health-officer-calls-for-stronger-public-health-approach-to-alcohol/