Once ALDH2-deficient patients have been identified, they should be informed about their elevated risk of developing esophageal cancer risk from drinking alcohol. As can be seen from Figure 5, ALDH2 deficiency increases esophageal cancer risk at all three drinking levels, but the slope of the line relating alcohol consumption to esophageal cancer risk is steeper in ALDH2-deficient individuals. Clinicians might therefore use this graph to explain the increased risk when counseling their ALDH2-deficient patients to reduce alcohol consumption.
