Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the trends in cancer burden attributable to smoking and alcohol consumption in Liaoning Province from 2008 to 2019. METHODS: Data on smoking and alcohol consumption were obtained from the Liaoning Provincial Chronic Disease and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance. Cancer incidence data were sourced from the Liaoning Province Cancer Registry Reporting System. We calculated the population attributable fraction (PAF) and age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) for cancers attributable to smoking, alcohol consumption, and the combined effects of both. RESULTS: In 2019, the PAF(m) attributable to smoking, alcohol consumption, and their combination in males in Liaoning Province were 38.68% (95% CI 25.37–50.22), 10.91% (95% CI 3.87–19.31), and 32.81% (95% CI 20.73–43.37), respectively, while the corresponding values in females were 8.73% (95% CI 3.03–17.99), 0.68% (95% CI 0.10–2.02), and 8.87% (95% CI 3.03–18.42), respectively. Among cancers attributable to smoking, lung cancer had the highest PAF(m) in both males and females. Among cancers attributable to alcohol consumption, oropharyngeal cancer had the highest PAF(m). The ASIRs attributable to smoking, alcohol consumption, and their combination in males were 99.14 per 100,000 (95% CI 64.87-128.86), 14.95 per 100,000 (95% CI 5.32–26.48), and 110.45 per 100,000 (95% CI 69.33-147.05), respectively, while the values in females were 14.06 per 100,000 (95% CI 4.74–29.56), 0.42 per 100,000 (95% CI 0.06–1.24), and 14.46 per 100,000 (95% CI 4.80–30.70), respectively. Lung cancer had the highest ASIR among cancers attributable to smoking in both genders, while colorectal cancer had the highest ASIR among cancers attributable to alcohol consumption in both genders. CONCLUSIONS: The cancer burden attributable to smoking and alcohol consumption remains high. Future health policy formulation needs to consider these factors more comprehensively and implement targeted interventions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-24289-5.