Spouses help to cure cancer

Married cancer patients have better chances of recovery than unmarried people

25/11/2013

With the support of spouses, the prospects for successful cancer treatment are significantly better. In the journal „Journal of Clinical Oncology“ Harvard University researchers have published the results of a study examining the healing success of cancer therapy in unmarried and married subjects. The scientists found that married cancer patients had a significantly better chance of survival than unmarried ones.

Overall, the study included data from more than 734,000 cancer patients from the US Cancer Registry. The result was clear: the married patients survived on average 33 percent longer and the unmarried subjects developed metastases with a 17 percent higher probability. „Our data suggest that marriage has a significant impact on the health of patients with cancer, consistently under every cancer we've reviewed“,emphasized study author Ayal Aizer. The researchers suggest that social support from the spouse causes this marked improvement in survival. For example, the spouses would accompany those affected to their doctor's visits and make sure that they understand the recommendations. We are social beings and work in a team simply better, so the conclusion of the US researchers. (Fp)