Drinking increases risk of cancer.

MORE people are diagnosed with cancer caused by alcohol each year than can fit in Wimbledon's Centre Court, a scientist said yesterday.

More than 20,000 people a year are diagnosed with a cancer that could have been prevented if they had not drunk any alcohol at all, said Professor Martin Wiseman, medical and scientific adviser for World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

Around 10,000 cases of breast cancer a year are linked to drinking while bowel cancer, liver cancer, oesophageal cancer and cancer of the mouth, pharynx and larynx are also associated with drink.

Prof Wiseman said there was "convincing scientific evidence" that drinking alcohol increases risk of cancer.

He recommended that, if people drink at all, they have no more than two drinks a day if they are a man and one if they are a woman.

"It is a real concern that there are so many cases of cancer every year that could have been prevented by not drinking alcohol and this is why we recommend that people drink moderately, if at all," he said.

"By comparing it to what Centre Court looks like when it is full for a big match we hope to highlight how the stakes are.

"If people find our recommendation on alcohol too hard to follow, they can still make a positive difference to their cancer risk by reducing the amount they drink."