HEFEI, China: Could a single life lead to a higher risk of cancer? A new study finds unmarried individuals have a higher chance of dying from stomach cancer.
Conversely, patients with spouses are more likely to receive an early cancer diagnosis, adding to evidence that having a wife or husband protects people against premature death. Study authors say being single should be one of the factors doctors use when determining how long patients are likely to live.
Married individuals had the best prognosis when it comes to cancer survival, followed by single people and then separated individuals.
“Married people tend to be better off financially. They may also receive emotional encouragement,” corresponding author Professor Aman Xu of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University says, according to a statement from SWNS.
Stomach cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death globally. It claims around 11,000 lives a year in just the United States alone.
Prof. Xu and colleagues analyzed 3,647 cases in the U.S. where the tumor hadn’t yet spread to other organs. Each patient received their diagnosis between 2010 and 2015.
People who were married had the best chance of survival, at 72 percent. Overall, wives fared better than husbands, at 76 percent compared to 69 percent. On the other hand, the odds of survival were lowest among widowers (51%) and widows (61%). Women fared better than men across the board, with female divorcees outlasting their male peers.
