Being married may help prolong survival in cancer patients

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/w-bmm041016.php

Public Release: 11-Apr-2016
Being married may help prolong survival in cancer patients
Varying effects by race and place of birth
Wiley

New research has uncovered a link between being married and living longer among cancer patients, with the beneficial effect of marriage differing by race/ethnicity and place of birth. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings have important public health implications, given the rising numbers of unmarried individuals in the United States in addition to the growing aging population.

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The investigators found that unmarried cancer patients had higher death rates than married patients. For males, the rate of death was 27 percent higher among those who were unmarried compared with those who were married. For females, the rate was 19 percent higher among unmarried patients. These patterns were minimally explained by greater economic resources among married patients, including having private health insurance and living in higher socioeconomic status neighborhoods.

The beneficial effect of being married on survival differed across racial/ethnic groups. Among men and women, whites benefitted the most from being married while Hispanics and Asian Pacific Islanders benefitted less. Also, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander cancer patients who were born in the United States experienced a greater benefit than those born outside the country.

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