A study published in the International Journal of Cancer in September suggests that drinking coffee or tea at very high temperatures may triple the risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (CEO), a rare form of esophageal cancer. The research, led by Keren Papier, an epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, analyzed data from nearly a million people in the UK, following them over 11 to 14 years. During this period, 1,045 participants developed CEO and 1,303 were affected by adenocarcinoma, the other main form of the disease. The study found that individuals who prefer their tea or coffee very hot have about three times the risk of developing CEO compared to those who prefer it warm. However, the amount of beverages also plays a role; consuming more than six cups per day increases the risk by 71%. The researchers adjusted for the number of cups consumed per day and focused on the temperature of the beverages. The study is described as the largest of its kind, using data from the Million Women study and the UK Biobank biomedical databases. Scientists suspect that hot beverages may damage the cells lining the esophagus, particularly in the upper part first exposed to the heat, leading to inflammation and increased cancer risk over time. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), previously classified beverages consumed at temperatures above 65°C as "probably carcinogenic." However, some experts caution that the results should be interpreted as robust associations rather than definitive proof of causality. Joel Rubenstein, a gastroenterologist at the University of Michigan, notes that this study and a prior one on UK Biobank data are the first to highlight the link between beverage temperature and esophageal cancer. Muy-Teck Teh, a professor of molecular oral oncology at Queen Mary University of London, is less optimistic and emphasizes the need for caution in interpreting the findings. Gilbert Welch, a doctor at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, notes that esophageal cancer remains rare, with the American Cancer Society recording 1.1 cases of CEO per 100,000 people in 2023, a figure that has decreased by half since the turn of the millennium. He suggests that while it may be prudent to avoid very hot beverages, the risk is low and people can reasonably continue their current habits. Fiona Osgun of Cancer Research UK highlights that alcohol and smoking are greater risk factors for this type of cancer. The study suggests that cooling down hot beverages before drinking them could help prevent about 14% of new CEO cases in the UK annually, or about 440 cases per year.