A major new Oxford study has found that drinking tea or coffee “very hot” rather than warm is linked to around three times the risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) – one of the two main types of oesophageal cancer.
Key findings:
- Published in the International Journal of Cancer and funded by Cancer Research UK, this is the largest study of its kind, tracking almost 980,000 UK adults over 14 years (UK Biobank and Million Women Study).
- Those who preferred drinks “very hot” had roughly 3x the SCC risk of those who drank them warm.
- Drinking six or more hot drinks a day raised SCC risk by 71%, regardless of temperature preference.
- The link was specific to SCC – no clear connection was found with adenocarcinoma (AC), the other major type of oesophageal cancer.
- Researchers think repeated heat damage to the oesophageal lining may be behind the link. The WHO already classifies drinks above 65°C as “probably carcinogenic.”
Why it matters:
With around 9,500 new UK cases a year, this adds a simple prevention message alongside known risk factors like smoking, diet and acid reflux: let hot drinks cool a little, and watch how many you have a day.
My journey with Oesophageal Cancer
Dr. Judyth Sassoon BSc, ARCS, DPhil (oxon)
I was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in late October last year and was immediately placed under the care of Imperial NHS in London. During November and December, I underwent five weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy to reduce the tumour in my oesophagus, followed by surgery on 2 February 2026.
The operation was an oesophagectomy with a gastric pull-up, performed by Professor George Hanna and his team at St Mary’s Hospital. I cannot thank the oncology and surgical teams enough for everything they did for me, and for the outstanding care and support I received throughout what was, inevitably, a very difficult period.
Now, seven months later, I am well on my way to recovery. As a professional palaeontologist and pedagogue, my work is physically demanding, and it is largely because of the first-class care I received that I am now fully back at work. I am once again teaching, undertaking fieldwork and writing. I continue to work on rebuilding my fitness, which is steadily returning to a good level as the months pass.
An oesophagectomy is a major operation and recovery can sometimes involve complications. Post-surgery, I developed two hernias; the first in April and the second in late June 2026. These were hiatal hernias, in which parts of my colon and small intestine migrated upwards into my chest cavity through the widened hiatus in my diaphragm. I suspect they may have been partly due to my excessive eagerness to return to normal life before my body was fully ready. Once again, the care I received from the NHS was excellent.
This brings me to the question of what caused my cancer. The diagnosis came as a considerable shock, both to me and to my family. Until then, I had been extremely fit, regularly running, hill walking and taking part in a wide range of outdoor activities. I neither drank alcohol nor smoked, so there was no obvious explanation for why I had developed oesophageal cancer.
For that reason, I was particularly interested to hear the report this morning concerning the association between regularly drinking very hot drinks and oesophageal cancer. I cannot know whether this played any role in my own illness, but it made me reflect on my habits. I regularly drank more than five cups of very hot tea and coffee every day. I also favoured very hot food and routinely ate excessively hot porridge.
It is often difficult to identify the precise cause of an individual cancer, and it is important not to confuse circumstantial evidence with proof. Nevertheless, my own experience has made me much more conscious of the potential risks associated with consuming food and drinks at very high temperatures. I would therefore suggest that, as a precaution, people avoid drinking or eating things while they are excessively hot. Allowing them to cool for a few minutes seems a small price to pay.
Finally, I would like to emphasise that recovery from oesophageal cancer is possible, although it can be a long and difficult journey, with good days and bad days along the way. Seven months after my operation, I am immensely grateful to be back doing the things I love: teaching, writing, working in the field and I continue to rebuild my strength and fitness.
Heartburn Health Campaign
