Cancer: Married people survive longer
All content is checked by medical journalists.MunichAnyone who is married has a better chance of surviving cancer than a single person. This is reported by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. In addition, the cancer is diagnosed at an earlier stage and is therefore often easier to treat.
Marriage with influence
The researchers retrospectively analyzed the data of almost 735,000 people who were diagnosed with cancer between 2004 and 2008. The focus was on the ten most common causes of death from cancer: tumors of the lungs, intestines, breasts, pancreas, prostate, liver / gallbladder, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, brain, ovaries and esophagus. Demographic data such as age, gender, marriage status, education or household income, which can also influence health, were also recorded.
Unrelated cancer patients, like widowers and widows, had a 17 percent higher risk of developing metastases. In addition, the likelihood of receiving adequate therapy was around 53 percent lower. "Our data suggest that marriage can have a decisive impact on the health of cancer patients," says the study's lead author, Ayal Aizer. "And this connection was evident in all types of cancer."
It's better together!
Support from the spouse is the key driver for improving survival, the researchers suspect. The partners often accompany patients to doctor visits and ensure that they understand the doctor's recommendations and actually carry out the therapies. "Our study is not intended to be an invitation to marry," says oncologist Paul Nguyen, the study's senior author. But everyone who has a friend or partner should feel encouraged to be there for them and to accompany them in the therapies. "That makes a real difference for the outcome of the disease." (Im)
Source: Ngyen, A. et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology, September 23, 2013
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