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Changes over time in the effect of marital status on cancer survival.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Rates of all-cause and cause-specific mortality are higher among unmarried than married individuals. Cancer survival is also poorer in the unmarried population. Recently, some studies have found that the excess all-cause mortality of the unmarried has increased over time, and the same pattern has been shown for some specific causes of death. The objective of this study was to investigate whether there has been a similar change over time in marital status differences in cancer survival. METHODS:Discrete-time hazard regression models for cancer deaths among more than 440,000 women and men diagnosed with cancer 1970-2007 at age 30-89 were estimated, using register data encompassing the entire Norwegian population. More than 200,000 cancer deaths during over 2 million person-years of exposure were analyzed. RESULTS:The excess mortality of the never-married compared to the married has increased steadily for men, in particular the elderly. Among elderly women, the excess mortality of the never-married compared to the married has increased, and there are indications of an increasing excess mortality of the widowed. The excess mortality of divorced men and women, however, has been stable. CONCLUSIONS:There is no obvious explanation for the increasing disadvantage among the never-married. It could be due to a relatively poorer general health at time of diagnosis, either because of a more protective effect of partnership in a society that may have become less cohesive or because of more positive selection into marriage. Alternatively, it could be related to increasing differentials with respect to treatment. Today's complex cancer therapy regimens may be more difficult for never-married to follow, and health care interventions directed and adapted more specifically to the broad subgroup of never-married patients might be warranted.

SUBMITTER: Kravdal H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3206482 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Changes over time in the effect of marital status on cancer survival.

Kravdal Håkon H Syse Astri A

BMC public health 20111014

<h4>Background</h4>Rates of all-cause and cause-specific mortality are higher among unmarried than married individuals. Cancer survival is also poorer in the unmarried population. Recently, some studies have found that the excess all-cause mortality of the unmarried has increased over time, and the same pattern has been shown for some specific causes of death. The objective of this study was to investigate whether there has been a similar change over time in marital status differences in cancer ...[more]

PMID: 21999466

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Project description:Marital status proved to be an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with breast cancer. We therefore strove to explore the impact of dynamic changes in marital status on the prognosis of breast cancer patients. We selected patients meeting the eligibility criteria from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer database. We then used multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model to analyze the effect of dynamic changes in marital status on the prognosis of overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific special survival (BCSS). Compared with the patients in the Single-Single group and the divorced/separated/widowed-divorced/separated/widowed (DSW-DSW) group, patients in the Married-Married group were significantly associated with better BCSS (HR 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03-1.19, P < 0.001; HR 1.19, 95% CI: 1.14-1.25, P < 0.001, respectively) and OS (HR 1.25, 95% CI: 1.20-1.30, P < 0.001; HR 1.49, 95% CI: 1.45-1.54, P < 0.001, respectively). In contrast to the DSW-DSW group, the Single-Single group and the DSW-Married group showed similar BCSS (HR 0.98, 95% CI: 0.92-1.05, P = 0.660; HR 1.06, 95% CI: 0.97-1.15, P = 0.193, respectively) but better OS (HR 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.19, P < 0.001; HR 1.32, 95% CI: 1.25-1.40, P < 0.001, respectively). Compared with the Single-Single group, the Single-Married group showed significantly better BCSS (HR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.07-1.36, P = 0.003) but no difference in OS (HR 1.08, 95% CI: 0.98-1.18, P = 0.102); In contrast to the Married-DSW group, the Married-Married group exhibited better BCSS (HR 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05-1.18, P < 0.001) and OS (HR 1.27, 95% CI: 1.22-1.32, P < 0.001). Our study demonstrated that, regardless of their previous marital status, married patients had a better prognosis than unmarried patients. Moreover, single patients obtained better survival outcomes than DSW patients. Therefore, it is necessary to proactively provide single and DSW individuals with appropriate social and psychological support that would benefit them.

Project description:ImportanceMarried patients with cancer have better cancer-specific survival than unmarried patients. Increasing the early diagnosis and definitive treatment of cancer among unmarried patients may reduce the survival gap.ObjectivesTo evaluate the extent to which marriage is associated with cancer-specific survival, stage at diagnosis, and treatment among patients with 9 common solid cancers and to recommend methods for reducing the survival gap.Design, setting, and participantsThis retrospective, population-based cohort study included patients older than 18 years who were diagnosed with 1 of 9 common cancers between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2016. Patient data were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Statistical analyses were performed from August 1 to October 1, 2020.ExposuresMarital status, classified as married and unmarried (including single, separated, divorced, widowed, and unmarried patients or domestic partners).Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was the time ratio (TR) of cancer-specific survival (married vs unmarried). Mediation analyses were conducted to determine the extent to which the association of marriage with cancer-specific survival was mediated by stage at diagnosis and treatment.ResultsThis study included 1 733 906 patients (894 379 [51.6%] women; 1 067 726 [61.6%] married; mean [SD] age, 63.76 [12.60] years). Multivariate analyses found that those who were married were associated with better cancer-specific survival than unmarried patients (TR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.35-1.37). Early diagnosis in breast cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, and melanoma mediated the association between marital status and cancer-specific survival (breast cancer: proportion mediated [PM], 11.4%; 95% CI, 11.2%-11.6%; colorectal cancer: PM, 10.9%; 95% CI, 10.7%-11.2%; endometrial cancer: PM, 12.9%; 95% CI, 12.5%-13.3%; melanoma: PM, 12.0%; 95% CI, 11.7-12.4%). Surgery mediated the association between marital status and cancer-specific survival in lung (PM, 52.2%; 95% CI, 51.9%-52.4%), pancreatic (PM, 28.9%; 95% CI, 28.6%-29.3%), and prostate (PM, 39.3%; 95% CI, 39.0%-39.6%) cancers. Chemotherapy mediated the association of marital status with cancer-specific survival in lung (PM, 37.7%; 95% CI, 37.6%-37.9%) and pancreatic (PM, 28.6%; 95% CI, 28.4%-28.9%) cancers. Improved cancer-specific survival associated with marriage was greater among men than women (men: TR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.25-1.28; women: TR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.19-1.21). The contribution of receiving an early diagnosis and treatment with surgery or chemotherapy to the association between marital status and cancer-specific survival was greater among men than women (early diagnosis: PM, 21.7% [95% CI, 21.5%-21.9%] vs PM, 20.3% [95% CI, 20.2%-20.4%]; surgery: PM, 26.6% [95% CI, 26.4%-26.7%] vs PM, 11.1% [95% CI, 11.0%-11.2%]; chemotherapy: PM, 6.8% [95% CI, 6.7%-6.8%] vs PM, 5.1% [95% CI, 5.0%-5.2%]).Conclusions and relevanceIn this study, survival disparities associated with marital status were attributable to early diagnosis in breast, colorectal, and endometrial cancers as well as melanoma and to treatment-related variables in lung, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. The findings also suggest that marriage may play a greater protective role in the cancer-specific survival of men than of women.

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Changes over time in the effect of marital status on cancer survival.

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Changes over time in the effect of marital status on cancer survival.

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