A growing body of research evidence shows being married greatly increases patients' chances of being cured of cancer. But, The Conversation reports, while there’s a clear link between marriage status and treatment outcome, the benefit is likely to extend to anyone in a close personal relationship.
The most recent such work is from doctors and scientists at Harvard University and it shows people who are married are less likely to die from head and neck cancer. These findings are consistent with other research that has found links between marriage and treatment success in a range of cancer types including prostate, uterine and breast and pancreatic.
The Harvard study collected data from over 51,000 patients who were diagnosed with a form of head or neck cancer between 2007 and 2010, via the US National Cancer Institute's epidemiology programme, SEERS. While the main focus of the research was marital status, it also looked at other factors such as tumour site, race, income, insurance status, age and sex.
The study authors found married people were 28% to 47% less likely to present with cancer that had spread to other areas in the body, which is a key determinant in treatment success.
The importance of having a spouse appears to come from their ability to detect the early signs of cancer. This may include visual changes in their partner but also audio clues like hoarseness when speaking, difficulty swallowing or other changes in their voice. After picking up these signs, spouses tend to encourage their partner to visit a doctor, which leads to earlier diagnosis and treatment. The study authors suggest the continuing support provided by spouses also plays a key role in their partners' treatment success. Married patients were more likely to listen to their doctors' advice and adhere to their medication schedules.
The report says while the study examines the importance of spousal influence, it doesn't elaborate on the importance of other factors such as whether the patients were regular smokers, consumed high levels of alcohol or were at risk of cancer from other causes, such as human papilloma virus (HPV).
It also didn't analyse the role of other health professionals in the early detection of neck and head cancer. People who have regular medical and dental check-ups can also be expected to have their cancers found earlier, and so have a higher rate of treatment success. Although the Harvard researchers identify limitations in their work, several other studies have demonstrated a similar link between marriage status and cancer treatment outcome.
As noted above, while all the studies described here looked at people who were formally married, it's likely the treatment outcomes would be similar for anyone diagnosed with cancer who lives in a committed relationship, whether same-sex, de facto or who lives with an extended, but close, family unit.
The research points to the importance of good surveillance and follow-up of single people, particularly those in high-risk groups such as smokers or heavy drinkers. Routine visits to doctors and dentists may be an extremely effective stand-in. The Harvard study also highlights the need for targeted social support that can be integrated into the care of cancer patients for the duration of their treatment. Initiatives can and should include regular home visits or calls from health workers, communal accommodation so single people can live together, or cancer patient support groups.
[link url="https://theconversation.com/in-sickness-and-in-health-how-marriage-helps-cancer-patients-41245"]Full report in The Conversation[/link]
[link url="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.29171/abstract;jsessionid=56C8B4A0E34DBA5784E5AD0C2A9DD131.f01t03"]Cancer abstract[/link]