Chronic alcohol exposure commonly causes gastritis and esophagitis. Which biological process links chronic mucosal inflammation to increased cancer risk in these tissues?

Transient inflammation accelerates mucosal healing in a way that eliminates stem cell proliferation and therefore reduces long-term mutation rates and cancer risk.

Chronic alcohol-related inflammation permanently increases the pH of the stomach to extremely alkaline levels which directly converts normal squamous mucosa into pancreatic tissue that becomes cancerous.

Persistent inflammation leads to increased cell turnover, production of reactive oxygen species and DNA damage, and promotion of dysplasia and eventual malignant transformation over time.

Inflammation causes immediate necrosis of all epithelial cells which prevents any possibility of dysplasia or carcinoma forming because there are no surviving cells to undergo malignant transformation.