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Cancer survival linked to marital status
25 August 2009: People separated at the time of diagnosis have poorest survival rate, followed by those who are widowed, divorced or never married, study says.
People who are separated after a marriage breakdown when they are diagnosed with cancer have worse survival rates, researchers have found.
The study, published in the journal Cancer, looked at the survival rates of almost four million cancer patients in the US diagnosed between 1973 and 2004. As in previous studies, the researchers found that people who were married at the time of their cancer diagnosis had a higher survival rate than those who were unmarried.
They also looked at how different types of unmarried people were affected by cancer. They found that people who were separated at the time of diagnosis had the poorest survival rate, followed by those who were widowed, divorced or never married.
It is thought that married people have better cancer survival rates because they have greater social and financial support. The latest study says the opposite is true for people whose marriage has broken down.
They US study says the high degree of stress, caused by financial and social uncertainty that comes with separation, may be a factor in making people’s immune systems weak and more susceptible to cancer.
The researchers hope their findings will bring about more support and psychological treatments for people whose marriage has broken down at the time of their cancer diagnosis. They recommend that separated people should be assessed and treated for psychological stress when first diagnosed and followed up long-term once their treatment is completed.
Dr Sneh Khemka, medical director for Bupa International, says these findings are of interest, but cautions over how much can be inferred from the results: “It is too simplistic to say that being married will improve your chances of surviving cancer, whereas if you are unlucky enough to be separated at the time of your diagnosis, you are less likely to survive. Marriage, divorce, widowhood, separation or never being married are not the causal factors here.
"Cancer is an extremely complex disease that is influenced by many important factors, such as lifestyle and genetics. This study indicates that there is something unique about people who are separated after a marriage breakdown that makes them more susceptible to cancer, but what this is, is not clear yet.”
Key facts
The study looked at survival rates over five and 10 year periods, they found:
• married people had a 63% survival rate over five years, 58% over 10 years
• people who had never married had a 57% survival rate over five year, 52% over 10 years
• divorcees had a 52% survival rate over five year, 46% over 10 years
• widowers had a 47% survival rate over five year, 41% over 10 years
• people who were separated had a 45% survival rate over five year, 37% over 10 years
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