14 DAY TRIAL // Specialists writing in yesterday's issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology say that, as surprising as this may sound, cancer patients who are married tend to live longer than those who are not.
Thus, investigations have shown that, when compared to married people, cancer patients who are either single or widowed have some 17% more chances to have metastatic cancer. Furthermore, they have 53% less chances to receive appropriate treatment for their condition, EurekAlert reports.
Needless to say, this translates into their having a higher risk of dying of said medical condition.
Researchers theorize that married cancer patients often live longer due to the fact that, thanks to their having someone to worry about them and to worry about, they take better care of themselves and are therefore diagnosed earlier.
Besides, it is possible that the support they receive from their spouses makes it easier for them to overcome their condition.
“Our data suggests that marriage can have a significant health impact for patients with cancer, and this was consistent among every cancer that we reviewed.”
“We suspect that social support from spouses is what's driving the striking improvement in survival. Spouses often accompany patients on their visits and make sure they understand the recommendations and complete all their treatments,” study author Ayal Aizer commented on these findings.