Marriage may be more likely to save you from cancer than CHEMO

Getting married could save your life from cancer, experts have told DailyMail.com.

This week, an unpublished study from 2013 began circulating on social media, revealing that married patients were up to 33% less likely to die of cancer than unmarried patients.

Interestingly, the team found that being married reduced the risk of death by up to 20% 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, calling the research “astonishing.”

South Carolina oncologist Dr. Daniel Landau, a contributor to the Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com, told DailyMail.com: “We’ve seen trends in several cancers that suggest that those who are married or have long-term partners term tend to fare better than those who try to brave this disease alone.

The study’s resurgence comes as a record 2 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year, including an explosion of cases among young people.

The study that Dr. Wilcox referenced, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, looked at the effect of marriage on when a patient’s cancer was diagnosed, whether they received treatment effective and mortality rates.

The research included 734,889 patients diagnosed with one of the 10 deadliest cancers at the time, between 2004 and 2008: lung, colorectal, breast, pancreas, prostate, liver, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, head/neck, ovary and esophageal.

Each of these cancers then caused at least 15,000 deaths per year.

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 years, while the marriageable age was 63 years. 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 incomes and education levels.

Researchers found that married patients were 53 percent more likely to have surgery and up to 56 percent more likely to have radiation therapy.

And married patients had a 12 to 33 percent reduced risk of dying from cancer, depending on the form of their disease. Head and neck cancers had the lowest risk, at 33 percent.

“We found that single patients, including those who are widowed, are at significantly higher risk of developing metastatic cancer, undertreatment, and death resulting from their cancer than married patients,” the researchers wrote.

“The association between marital status and each of these outcomes was significant for each malignancy evaluated.”

Additionally, marriage was between five and 20 percent more effective in improving cancer survival rates than chemotherapy in five cancers, including breast, prostate, colorectal, esophagus and head/neck.

The team noted that this phenomenon could be because partners offer emotional support, making patients less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and distress.

Stress leads to inflammation in the body, which is believed to encourage the formation, growth and spread of cancers.

Married patients can also eat better and take better care of their bodies, such as sticking to 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 write.

The researchers also pointed to other research suggesting that marriage also has benefits for physical health, including strengthening the cardiovascular, hormonal and immune systems.

More recent research has also yielded similar results.

A review published last year in the journal Cancer Medicine, for example, looked at 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 Chinese researchers found in 2022 that 72% of married men and women were likely to be alive five years after being diagnosed with gastric cancer. At the same time, this rate fell to 60 percent for widows.

They suggested this was due to “emotional encouragement” from their partner, as well as “harassment” to get symptoms checked.

Click here to resize this module

Experts also argued that patients’ marital status should be considered a cancer risk factor, calling for greater support for single or separated patients.

Dr. Landau said the improved outcomes among married patients could be due to several reasons.

One is that patients tend to downplay their symptoms, which could lead them to receive ineffective or weak treatments.

A partner, he says, would be able to tell the doctor exactly what the patient is feeling without sugarcoating the problem.

“Having a partner involved to help monitor the patient for treatment side effects and to reliably report what is happening to the doctor makes a huge difference in long-term outcomes,” Dr. Landau said.

“Sometimes, as oncologists, we are hesitant 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 benefit from ‘reliable support.’

He also noted that cancer is “a very isolating experience” due to patients missing work, social events and time with friends to receive treatment and rest. “There are clear links between worsening depression and poorer outcomes of cancer treatments,” he said.

“Having a supportive partner can help improve mood and motivation, keeping the patient in a better mood during their fight with cancer.”

And having a support system like a spouse makes patients more likely to attend all appointments because 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 whether a person can take their medications or get their follow-up care rather than going into debt or neglecting their care,” Dr. Landau said.

Several users responded to Dr. Wilcox’s post about the study, sharing this sentiment.

User Steve Sailer said: “When I had cancer in 1997, my wife played a crucial role in determining the hurdles I needed to jump to get cutting-edge treatment and motivating me to do so.”

And The Franklo-Saxon wrote: “My grandmother saved my grandfather more than once before he became decrepit by insisting he go to the doctor when he wouldn’t have one done differently. I wonder if that’s part of the effect here.

Others were more cynical. ‘Oh come on. Men with women are probably just being pestered to go to the doctor sooner,” wrote Richard Hanania.

And a user named BacklashRC wrote: “This shouldn’t surprise anyone. Women harass men into taking tests they otherwise wouldn’t be able to do.