CVille Right Now: Dr. Steven Quay on the Surprising Link Between Alcohol and Cancer

During a recent segment on CVille Right Now’s Live Well Series, Dr. Steven Quay, CEO of Atossa Therapeutics and a leading voice in cancer research, shared eye-opening insights into the connection between alcohol and cancer risk. With nearly 100,000 cancer cases linked to alcohol each year, Dr. Quay broke down how alcohol impacts the body—causing DNA damage, oxidative stress, and hormone disruption—all of which increase vulnerability to seven types of cancer, including liver, breast, and esophageal cancers.

“Half the people don’t really understand that relationship,” Dr. Quay noted, pointing to a knowledge gap that could be life-changing if addressed. He also reflected on how public perception can shift over time, drawing comparisons to the decline in smoking rates after increased education and warning labels. He believes a similar approach for alcohol could make a meaningful difference.

Curious to learn more? Listen to the full interview and discover how small changes in awareness can lead to healthier decisions for the future.

Steven Quay is the founder of Seattle-based Atossa Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ATOS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics and delivery methods for breast cancer and other breast conditions.

He received his M.D. and Ph.D. from The University of Michigan, was a postdoctoral fellow at MIT with Nobel Laureate H. Gobind Khorana, a resident at the Harvard-MGH Hospital, and was on the faculty of Stanford University School of Medicine. His contributions to medicine have been cited over 9,600 times. He has founded six startups, invented seven FDA-approved pharmaceuticals, and holds 87 US patents. Over 80 million people have benefited from the medicines he invented.

His current passion is the prevention of the two million yearly breast cancer cases worldwide.

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