Cancer Survival: How Marriage Can Help Fight The Big C

Marriage could be a helpful way to with cancer, a recent study revealed. The research found that single males and females have a higher death rate than married individuals.

CBS News said the study discovered that single men suffering from cancer had a death rate which is 27 percent higher compared to married males. On the other hand, single female cancer patients also recorded a 19 percent higher death rate than married ones.

"The effects that we find were actually quite notable," said author and research scientist Scarlett Lin Gomez. "They are comparable to some of the more clinical factors we often see that are associated with cancer prognosis, like stage of disease or certain types of treatment."

The researchers also explained that the advantage for married individuals can be attributed to the "emotional bonds" provided by marriage and not by the financial aspect. Gomez said economic resources had minimal influence on the results.

"Specifically, we looked at health insurance and we looked at living in a higher socioeconomic status neighborhood," she added. The research scientist also claimed that these factors also did not explain why there is higher survival among married people

According to The Guardian, the study looked into the data of about 800,000 people who have cancer from 2000 to 2012. Research author Maria Elena Martinez, a professor at the University of California, said there is now a need to study on why marriage is helpful to fight cancer.

Martinez added that factors like the support and help of a spouse should be taken into consideration into the study. "We don't have a handle [on] what it is in regard to social support that we need to go after to equalise everything," she explained.

Aside from the marriage aspect, researchers also discovered that cancer patients of Chinese, Japanese and Indian descent but born in the United States had a lower chance of survival than people from other races. The study highlighted that the reason for this trend could be the immersion of these patients in the culture of the United States.