Adults who stay unmarried face a significantly higher risk of developing several types of cancer, according to a US study published in Cancer Research Communications.
Previous studies have shown that married individuals tend to fare better after a cancer diagnosis. They are more likely to detect cancer earlier, stick to treatment plans and benefit from emotional and financial support. But this latest study asks a different question: Does marriage affect the chances of developing cancer in the first place?
To find out, researchers analysed eight years of data, encompassing more than four million cancer cases among over 100 million people across 12 US states. The study included all malignant cancers diagnosed in adults aged 30 and older.
Participants were grouped into two categories: those who were or had been married, and those who had never married.
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The findings showed that adults who had ever been married had a consistently lower risk of cancer. Unmarried men were 70 per cent more likely to develop cancer than married men, while unmarried women faced an 85 per cent higher risk compared to women who were or had been married.
For certain cancers, the link was even more striking. Men who had never married were about five times more likely to develop anal cancer, while never-married women had nearly three times the risk of cervical cancer.
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The elevated risk was especially noticeable for cancers linked to infections, smoking and alcohol use, as well as reproductive cancers in women, such as ovarian and endometrial cancer. However, the association was weaker for cancers with well-established screening programmes, including breast, thyroid and prostate cancers.
The link also grew stronger with age, particularly among adults over 50, suggesting that as people age and accumulate exposure to risk factors, the protective effects associated with marriage may become more pronounced.