Marital status may be a powerful social determinant of cancer. Rates of the disease are significantly higher among people who were never married, a new study has found.
People who are or were once married have a lower risk of developing cancer, according to a new study. This suggests that marital status may be a powerful and overlooked social determinant of cancer.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Miami and published in the journal Cancer Research Communications, found that people who never got married experienced substantially higher cancer incidence.
Men who were never married had a 68% higher cancer incidence. Among women, the figure rose to 85%.
The researchers noted that the link was stronger among those aged 55 and over, suggesting that differences stemming from marital status can accumulate over people's course of life.
"These findings suggest that social factors such as marital status may serve as important markers of cancer risk at the population level," said Paulo Pinheiro, co-author of the study and a professor of cancer epidemiology at the Miller School Department of Public Health Sciences in Miami.
Is marriage the solution to avoiding cancer?
The researchers said that the results do not mean people should get married, or that marriage has any inherent secret prevention mechanisms.
"It means that, if you’re not married, you should be paying extra attention to cancer risk factors, getting any screenings you may need, and staying up to date on health care," said the University of Miami's Frank Penedo, co-author of the study.
According to the researchers, marital status is often treated as a background demographic variable.
However, the findings suggest it could also function as a social exposure factor that can capture dimensions of cancer not fully explained by race, age, and socioeconomic status.
The study analysed data from more than 100 million people across the United States and cancer data from more than 4 million cases diagnosed between 2015 and 2022.
They included all malignant cancers diagnosed in adults from the age of 30, approximately the mean age at which people get married for the first time in the US.
Marital status data was divided into two groups: Those who had never married, and those who were once married but no longer are, including separated, divorced and widowed people.
Do these results apply to all cancers?
Overall, adults who were never married had higher rates of developing cancer, though the association was stronger for some cancer types than others.
Men who were never married had almost five times the rate of anal cancer compared with married men. For women, not being married was linked to nearly three times the rate of cervical cancer.
Cancer rates for the oesophageal, liver, and lung cancers were roughly double for both sexes among non-married people compared to those who were or are married.
How does marriage affect cancer rates?
Marriage has long been associated with better health outcomes, including lower morbidity, longer life expectancy, and higher self-rated health, the authors noted.
The positive factors associated with marriage include increased social support, healthier behaviours such as reduced alcohol and tobacco use, more favourable sexual patterns, and greater economic stability.
For some cancers, such as anal and cervical — both linked to HPV infection — differences may also reflect variation in exposure.
Beyond cancer onset, previous studies have also shown that married patients tend to be diagnosed at earlier stages and experience higher survival rates.
These advantages are often attributed to spousal support in promoting screening, helping with treatment, and navigating complex care, the study concluded.
