Getting married could save your life from cancer, experts told DailyMail.com.
This week, an unreported 2013 study began circulating on social media and found that married patients were up to 33 percent less likely to die from cancer than single patients.
Interestingly, the team found that being married reduced the risk of death by up to 20 percent more than chemotherapy in five types of cancer, including breast, colorectal and prostate tumors.
Brad Wilcox, a sociologist who studies marriage and family at the University of Virginia, shared an excerpt from the study on X and called the research “amazing.”
Dr. Daniel Landau, a South Carolina oncologist and collaborator with the Mesothelioma Center of Asbestos.comtold DailyMail.com: “We have seen trends across multiple cancers that suggest that those who are married or have long-term partners tend to have better outcomes than those who are trying to face this disease alone.”
A 2013 study gained traction on social media this week and claims that married cancer patients have better outcomes than single ones.
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The study’s revival comes as a record 2 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year, including an explosion of cases in young people.
The study Dr. Wilcox referenced, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, aimed to look at the effect of marriage on when a patient’s cancer was diagnosed, whether they received effective treatment, and the rates of mortality.
The research included 734,889 patients diagnosed with one of the 10 deadliest cancers at that time between 2004 and 2008: lung, colorectal, breast, pancreas, prostate, liver, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, head/neck, ovary and esophagus.
Each of these cancers caused at least 15,000 deaths per year at that time.
Married patients were approximately 2.5 years younger than unmarried patients and were more likely to be white men.
The average age of single participants was 66, while the age of married participants was 63. About 75 percent of the married group was white compared to 69 percent in the single group.
They were also more likely to live in rural areas and have higher levels of income and education.
The researchers found that married patients were 53 percent more likely to undergo surgery and up to 56 percent more likely to receive radiation treatment.
And married patients had a 12 to 33 percent lower risk of dying from cancer, depending on the form of the disease. Head and neck cancers had the lowest risk at 33 percent.
“We found that unmarried patients, including widowers, have a significantly higher risk of developing metastatic cancer, undertreatment, and death as a result of cancer than married patients,” the researchers wrote.
“The association between marital status and each of these outcomes was significant for each cancer evaluated.”
Additionally, marriage was between five and 20 percent more effective in improving cancer survival rates than chemotherapy in five types of cancer, including breast, prostate, colorectal, esophageal, and head/neck.
The team noted that this phenomenon could be due to partners offering emotional support, which makes patients less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and distress.
Stress causes inflammation in the body, which is believed to help cancers form, grow and spread.
Married patients might also eat better and take better care of their bodies, for example by following a regular sleep schedule.
“Physicians should consider screening single cancer patients for depression and refer patients to mental health specialists if symptoms are identified,” the authors wrote.
The researchers also pointed to other research suggesting that marriage also has physical health benefits, including boosting the cardiovascular, hormonal and immune systems.
Around 20 million cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2022, but that number is expected to increase to more than 35 million cases by 2050.
More recent research has also obtained similar results.
A review published last year in the magazine Cancer medicineFor example, it analyzed 67 research articles from 1987 to 2022.
The team found that “being single is associated with significantly worse overall and cancer-specific survival,” with the most vulnerable group being divorced or separated men.
And researchers in China found in 2022 that 72 percent of married men and women were likely to be alive five years after being diagnosed with gastric cancer. Meanwhile, this rate fell to 60 percent for widows.
They suggested this was due to “emotional stimulation” from their partner, as well as “nudging” them to manage their symptoms.
Experts also argued that patients’ marital status should be considered a risk factor for cancer, and called for greater support for single or separated patients.
Dr. Landau said the better results in married patients could be due to several reasons.
One of them is that patients tend to downplay their symptoms, which could lead them to receive ineffective or weak treatments.
A partner, he said, could tell the doctor exactly how the patient feels without sugarcoating the problem.
“Having a partner involved to help monitor the patient for side effects of the therapy and reliably inform the doctor of what is happening makes a big difference in long-term outcomes,” Dr. Landau said.
“Sometimes, as oncologists, we hesitate to offer therapies with higher side effect profiles to people who do not have a partner for fear of what might happen to the patient if they do not have reliable support.”
He also noted that cancer is “a very isolating experience” because patients miss work, social events and spending time with friends to receive treatment and rest. “There are clear links between worsening depression and poorer outcomes with cancer therapies,” she said.
“Having a supportive partner can help improve mood and motivation, keeping the patient in a better mood while going through a battle with cancer.”
And having a support system like a spouse makes it more likely that patients will attend all appointments, since they will have someone to drive them and help them manage their schedule.
‘Cancer is a costly battle. “Having a partner who can help with finances can make the difference in someone being able to take their medications or receive follow-up care instead of going into debt or neglecting care,” Dr. Landau said.
The most common types in younger people are breast (15 percent), thyroid (15 percent), testicular (eight percent) and skin melanoma (seven percent) cancer. The remaining 55 percent is attributed to other types of cancer, including colorectal cancer, also known as bowel cancer.
Several users responded to Dr. Wilcox’s study post and agreed with the sentiment.
User Steve Sailer said: “When I had cancer in 1997, my wife played a crucial role in figuring out what obstacles I had to overcome to get the latest treatment and motivated me to do it.”
And The Franklo-Saxon wrote: ‘My grandmother saved my grandfather more than once before he became decrepit by insisting that he go to the doctor when he otherwise would not have done so. I wonder if that’s part of the effect here.
Others were more cynical. ‘Oh, come on. Men with wives are probably urged to go to the doctor sooner,” wrote Richard Hanania.
And a user called BacklashRC wrote: ‘This shouldn’t surprise anyone. Women harass men to get checkups they otherwise wouldn’t get.’
