While early diagnoses and proper and effective treatment are known to boost cancer survival rates, researchers have found another factor crucial for the extended lifespan post cancer diagnosis – marriage!
According to the findings of a new study, cancer afflicts who are married are 20 percent less likely to succumb to their disease over a three-year period as compared to people who are divorced, widowed or unmarried.
Also, married people with cancer are 17 percent less likely to have metastatic cancer, tumors that spread beyond the original site.
The study, conducted by the researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, found that married cancer patients fared better than singles in any type of cancer.
Surprisingly, in tumors of the prostate, breast, colorectal, esophageal and head/neck, the survival benefits bestowed by marriage were much larger than those from chemotherapy.
"Improving social support for our patients may be equally important as providing effective therapy, and it is less costly to develop and implement," study's senior author, Paul Nguyen, a radiation oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said.
The study
For the purpose of the study, researchers looked at outcomes of over 700,000 Americans diagnosed with cancer between 2004 and 2008. The participants had one of 10 cancers: lung, colorectal, breast, pancreatic, prostate, liver/bile duct, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, head and neck, ovarian and esophageal cancer.
After taking into account factors that could have a direct bearing on health, the researchers found that married people were 20 percent less likely to die over a three-year period vis-à-vis cancer afflicts who were divorced, widowed or never married.
On the contrary, unmarried, widowed or divorced patients were 17 percent more likely to have metastatic tumors and 53 percent less likely to get appropriate cancer care as compared to married counterparts.
Interestingly, the benefits of marriage on cancer survival outcomes were greater in men than women.
"Social support," rather than a wedding ring
The real secret to improved and enhanced cancer survival is 'social support', rather than the marriage per se, study's first author Ayal Aizer, chief resident of the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program in Boston, marked.
Spouses provide affection and moral support, which is critical for cancer survival, Aizer said.
"Spouses provide many practical services, nursing their partners through therapy, driving them to the hospital, helping with medications and making sure that patients eat well. This kind of help can allow patients to complete recommended therapy, rather than skip treatments or drop out early," Aizer said.
"We don't just see this as an affirmation of marriage," Nguyen said. "Rather, it should send a message to anyone who has a friend or loved one with cancer. By being there for that person and helping them navigate their appointments and make it through all their treatments, you can make a real difference to that person's outcome."
The findings of the study are published in the Sept. 23 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
