Study finds being single may increase your risk of dying from cancer

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

Being single increases the risk of dying from stomach cancer, according to new research.

Patients with spouses are more likely to get diagnosed early - adding to evidence having a wife or husband protects against premature death.

It should be added to factors doctors use to work out how long they are likely to live, say scientists.

They had the best prognosis - followed by single people. Separated individuals fared worst.

Corresponding author Professor Aman Xu, of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University explained: "Married people tend to be better off financially. They may also receive emotional encouragement."

The disease also known as gastric cancer, is the third leading cause of cancer death globally. It claims around 780,000 lives a year - including 4,300 in the UK.

Prof Xu and colleagues analyzed 3,647 cases in the US where the tumor hadn't spread to other organs. They were diagnosed between 2010 and 2015.

People who were married had the best chance of survival - 72 percent. Overall wives did better than husbands - 76 compared to 69 percent.

They were lowest for widowers (51%) and widows (61%).

Women did better than men across the board - with female divorcees outlasting their male peers.

The study in the Journal of Investigative Medicine is the first of its kind. A similar phenomenon has been identified for liver and lung cancer.

It was based on a mathematical model called a nomogram. Participants were randomly divided into 2,719 'trainers' to draw it up and 928 'testers'.

Prof Xu said: "Survival prospects were better among women than among men and among people who were married."

Further analysis showed age at diagnosis, molecular findings, stage, surgery and tumor size were also independent prognostic factors.

The researchers used the data to build a nomogram to predict three and five year survivals.

Each variable was scored from 0–100 according to its contribution. People were assigned a high or low risk of recurrence or death.

The algorithm reliably predicted survival. The C-index, a statistical indicator of agreement, was 0.791. A value over 0.7 is regarded as good.

Prof Xu said: "Tumor size was the largest contributory factor to risk of death or recurrence.

"This isn't surprising as a larger tumor is more aggressive while a barely visible one is slow growing.

"Marital status also showed moderate influence on survival. Married people had the best prognosis, followed by single people, while the prognosis of separated patients was the worst."

Observed gender differences may also reflect genetic or behavioral differences such as diet and lifestyle - which weren't taken into account.

Prof Xu said: "All patients diagnosed with early stage [gastric cancer] can use our nomogram to assess their prognostic risk after receiving corresponding treatment.

“For high-risk patients, review frequency and follow-up times should be increased. Patients themselves should pay more attention to symptom fluctuation and improvements in lifestyle."

He added: "More social help and care should be provided to widowed or single people who are diagnosed with the disease."

Earlier this year a study of half a million older people in Asia found those who were married people were up to a fifth less likely to suffer an early death.

They were 15 percent less likely to die from all causes compared to singletons. They also had a 20 per cent lower risk of dying from accidents, injuries and heart disease.

Men benefitted most from being in wedlock. Previous research has shown they are less likely to take risks or consume alcohol and drugs.

In the UK, death rates among single men and women are up to twice as high compared to their married counterparts.