There are unfortunately many factors that can raise your risk of developing cancer, from your genes to how often you exercise. Not to stress you out or anything, but new research suggests there’s another one to consider: your marital status.
A new study published in the journal Cancer Research Communications found that adults who have never been married have a higher risk of developing cancer than those who have. Weirdly, this isn’t the first study to make this kind of connection.
It’s important to flag that the researchers aren’t suggesting that you’re screwed in the health department if you don’t get married. “The main takeaway is not that people need to get married to prevent cancer,” Paulo Pinheiro, MD, PhD, study co-author and research professor at University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, tells SELF. But the study found that there are certain factors that are more common in people who are married—and they’re ones that you can still navigate on your own. Here’s what the study found, plus what doctors want people to take away from this.
The study found a clear link between marital status and cancer risk.
For the study, researchers analyzed eight years of demographic and cancer data from surveillance programs across 12 states in the US. The study included more than 4 million cancer cases in a population of more than 100 million people.
The researchers then divided people into two groups based on their marital status: Those who were married or had been married, and those who had never been married. (One in five adults in the study group had never been married.)
After crunching the numbers, the researchers discovered that adults who had never been married had significantly higher rates of developing cancer compared to those who were married or had been married. They also looked at individual cancer types and found marital status was closely linked with some more than others. Case in point: Adult women who had never been married had nearly three times the rate of cervical cancer compared to those who were married or who had been married.
There were slightly different patterns for men and women. Men who were never married were about 70% more likely to develop cancer than those who were hitched, while women who never married were about 85% more likely to develop cancer than their married or previously married counterparts.
“Most research on marriage and cancer has focused on what happens after diagnosis, such as survival. Much less is known about whether marital status is associated with the risk of developing cancer in the first place,” Dr. Pinheiro says.
What’s behind the cancer and marital status connection?
There are likely a few reasons for this link. “Studies have shown unmarried people are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors that increase risk for cancer, such as smoking, alcohol use, and a poorer diet,” Lorna H McNeill, PhD, MPH, professor and chair in the Department of Health Disparities at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, tells SELF.
The study also found an association between cancers linked to infections and sexual activity, Dr. McNeill points out. “It is likely that unmarried people have more sexual partners than married people, also increasing their risk for cancer,” she says. “And finally, unmarried people may experience greater social isolation, and preliminary studies have shown an association between social isolation and increased cancer risk.”
Married people are also more likely to get cancer screenings, Ketan Thanki, MD, colorectal surgeon at the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, California, tells SELF. “This is especially true for men, who are 20% more likely to get colonoscopies, for example, if married,” he says. “Having a partner to help us manage and afford our lifestyle and food choices and remind us to get our health maintenance check-ups seems to help prevent cancer.”
But doctors say that this is likely more about behaviors linked to marriage versus being married itself. “Marriage is associated with a lifestyle pattern,” Namrata Vijayvergia, MD, section chief of gastrointestinal medical oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, tells SELF. “People who get married may be taking care of their health more.”
Dr. Vijayvergia stresses that marriage itself is unlikely to be driving this. “If you take away the lifestyle factors that are linked with marriage, I think you may have different findings,” she says. “This is simply proof that preventative behaviors are important to prevent cancer.”
Unmarried people aren’t destined to develop cancer.
Of course, not everyone meets the right person or even wants to get married. Plenty of people also have long-term, committed relationships without being married, or have thriving social lives as a single person. If you fall into any of those categories, doctors stress that you’re not destined to develop cancer.
It’s not necessarily marriage itself that provides a protective effect, according to Dr. Pinheiro. “Marital status is really a marker of a bundle of exposures,” he says.
The data didn’t separate out people in long-term partnerships or those who are living with someone—those were classified as never married, Dr. Pinheiro points out. “If those partnerships provide similar levels of support and shared behaviors, then some of the same patterns could apply, and the differences we observe may be somewhat underestimated,” he says.
Dr. McNeill agrees. “I do think that being in a committed relationship likely confers similar benefits of reduced cancer risk to those married, in as much as those in a committed relationship are less likely to experience social isolation [and have] increased social support, which is also a protective of cancer incidence, and are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors,” she says.
Social support likely plays a role too. “Social support, whether through a partner, family, or community, can influence health behaviors, access to care, and adherence to screening and prevention,” Dr. Pinheiro says. “Marriage is one way to capture that at the population level, but it is not the only way. Strong support systems outside of marriage may confer advantages, but that requires more work.”
Nicholas Hornstein, MD, PhD, medical oncologist at Northwell’s Lenox Hill Hospital, echoes the social support factor. “In general, we know that people that have a little bit of a stronger social structure go out and do things more,” he tells SELF. “As a result, they tend to do better in terms of health.” It may also be that people who are more social and active are more likely to get married because they have more opportunities to meet people, Dr. Hornstein says.
So what’s the takeaway?
Again, if you’re not married, have never been married, and don’t plan on getting married, you’re not destined to get cancer. Cancer is a complex disease and your relationship status alone will not dictate whether you or not you develop it. “I don’t think you should jump onto a dating app because you want to reduce your cancer risk—that’s not the right takeaway,” Dr. Hornstein says. Instead, he says the data just suggest that being married can help nudge you toward health habits and behaviors that can lower your cancer risk.
“Marriage and even committed relationships aren’t for everyone, but the positive reinforcement, economic benefits, and maybe even a little nagging provided by our loved ones helps us help ourselves,” Dr. Thanki says.
If you’re unmarried, Dr. Pinheiro recommends “paying closer attention to cancer prevention, including screening, reducing risk factors, and staying engaged with health care.” Basically, it’s important to take care of your health, no matter your relationship status.
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- Cancer Is on the Rise—but More People Are Surviving Even the Deadliest Kinds
- Why More Women Are Facing Breast Cancer in Pregnancy and Postpartum
