Marital status not linked to lung cancer

DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Married patients with lung cancer do not survive longer than unmarried patients -- contrary to previous studies -- a study of nearly 6,000 U.S. patients found.

Dr. Aminah Jatoi and colleagues analyzed data on nearly 5,900 patients from a Mayo Clinic database of patients with non-small cell lung cancer -- the most common type of lung cancer. The database included information on a wide range of factors, including cancer stage, cancer treatment and other factors affecting prognosis.

The study, published in The Oncologist, found 76 percent of the patients were married, 4 percent were single, 7 percent divorced and 12 percent widowed.

Initial analysis found no significant differences in survival among the different marital status groups even after factoring for age, tumor stage and smoking, the study said.

"Nonetheless, marital status at times appeared to have influenced whether or not a patient received certain types of cancer therapy," the researchers said in a statement.