THURSDAY, June 23 (HealthDay News) -- Being married improves the
likelihood of survival for colon cancer patients, a new study
finds.
Married men and women with colon cancer were 14 percent less
likely to die than other colon cancer patients, according to U.S.
researchers who analyzed 127,753 patient records.
The study also found that married patients were diagnosed at
earlier stages of colon cancer and sought more aggressive
treatment, which echoes findings from studies of other types of
cancer.
While the actual reasons for improved survival among married
patients weren't pinpointed by the researchers at Penn State's
College of Medicine and Brigham Young University, they suggested
that informal caregiving by spouses may result in better cancer
management. That extra support may result in better outcomes,
according to a Brigham Young news release.
The study appears online and in an upcoming print issue of the
journal
Cancer Epidemiology.
More information
The American Cancer Society has more about
colon and rectum cancer.