Married cancer patients ‘are more likely to survive’

MARRIED people are significantly more likely to survive cancer than those who are single, a study suggests.

Research into 60,000 people with a range of blood cancers found that, on average, those with a spouse were a fifth more likely to survive than those without.

Researchers said married people were more likely to be “nagged” by their spouse to go to the doctor, and to feel that they had “something to live for” after falling ill.

The University of California, San Diego, analysed data from the California Cancer Registry between 2000 and 2009 of people with six types of blood cancer. Overall, there was a 20 per cent increased risk of death among those who were single. Single men fared worse than women, with an overall increased risk of 24 per cent compared with their married counterparts. Matthew Wieduwilt, from the university, who wrote the study, said: “Single patients often present at a later stage and are sicker. If you are single you don’t have someone at home nagging at you to get checked out, this is particularly true with men.

“Women tend to have more support even if they are single.

“Married people and people with families are more likely to stick to treatment,” he added. “To put it bluntly, they have something to live for.” He said health services needed to take more care of single patients, to provide help that a spouse might have given.

Prof Maria Elena Martinez of the University of California, San Diego, coauthor, said: “Being single should be a red flag for doctors. If a cancer patient comes in without a family member or spouse it should be a warning sign.”

She said medical staff should ask patients about what support they could get at home. “Doctors need to go that little bit extra with single patients,” she said. “Having a spouse provides you with the support needed to navigate a complex, overwhelming system of treatment and medication.”

She also said the study reflected a wider picture. “Across all cancers you are more likely to survive if you are married. It is consistent,” she said.

Adrienne Betteley, from Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “We know that a cancer diagnosis can leave people feeling very lonely and that this can have a detrimental affect on their lives, with many forced to skip meals or attend vital appointments alone.

“At worst it can result in patients refusing treatment altogether.”

A quarter of cancer patients see their GP at least three times before they get referred to hospital, a survey suggests. The National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2015, which questioned more than 71,000 patients, means that thousands of cancer sufferers are making repeated trips to a family doctor before being sent to a specialist.