{"id":44845,"date":"2026-04-08T14:45:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:45:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=44845"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:45:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:45:06","slug":"whos-at-higher-cancer-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=44845","title":{"rendered":"Who\u2019s at higher cancer risk?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Your love life could be affecting more than just <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/02\/12\/health\/how-being-in-love-impacts-heart-health-cardiologist\/\">your heart<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/aacrjournals.org\/cancerrescommun\/article\/6\/4\/783\/782682\/Marriage-and-Cancer-Risk-A-Contemporary-Population\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sweeping new study<\/a> compared people who are or have been married with those who\u2019ve never tied the knot and found one group faces a much higher lifetime risk of cancer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a clear and powerful signal that some individuals are at a greater risk,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/med.miami.edu\/faculty\/paulo-s-pinheiro-phd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Paulo Pinheiro<\/a>, study co-author and a physician-scientist at the University of Miami\u2019s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.med.miami.edu\/marital-status-cancer-risk-sylvester-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Across the country, 66% of Americans ages 15 and older have been married at least once. <span class=\"credit\">sebra \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the study, Pinheiro and his colleagues looked at more than 4 million cancer cases across a population of over 100 million people in 12 states between 2015 and 2022. <\/p>\n<p>They focused on adults ages 30 and older, breaking down cancer rates by marital status, sex and race, while adjusting for age.<\/p>\n<p>The participants fell into two camps: Those who were or had been married \u2014 including divorced and widowed people \u2014 and those who\u2019d never said \u201cI do.\u201d <\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>In all, about one in five adults in the study had never married.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers found that this group faced \u201csubstantially higher rates\u201d of developing cancer compared with those who were or had gotten hitched.<\/p>\n<p>For cancers with robust screening programs, like <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/05\/09\/breast-cancer-screenings-should-begin-at-40-not-50-health-alert\/\">breast<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/10\/28\/health\/doctor-reveals-signs-you-need-to-get-your-thyroid-checked\/\">thyroid<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/03\/21\/health\/a-new-saliva-test-could-help-accurately-detect-prostate-cancer\/\">prostate<\/a>, the difference was smaller.<\/p>\n<p>But for more <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/07\/11\/health\/40-of-cancer-cases-linked-to-bad-behavior-smoking-main-culprit\/\">preventable cancers tied to lifestyle factors<\/a>, the disparities grew.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Lifestyle factors that raise cancer risk, like smoking, are reported at higher rates among unmarried people. <span class=\"credit\">Eugenio Marongiu \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Think smoking, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/05\/25\/health\/alcohol-related-cancer-deaths-have-nearly-doubled-this-group-is-most-at-risk\/\">heavy drinking<\/a> and sexually transmitted infections \u2014 all behaviors that raise cancer risk and tend to be lower among married people. <\/p>\n<p>Case in point: Men who never took the plunge had about five times the rate of <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/05\/03\/health\/anal-cancer-is-on-the-rise-heres-who-is-most-at-risk\/\">anal cancer<\/a> compared with married men.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>Women who never wed, meanwhile, faced nearly triple the rate of <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/03\/28\/health\/cervical-cancer-rates-rising-in-30s-40s-what-to-do-about-it\/\">cervical cancer<\/a> compared with women who were or had been married.<\/p>\n<p>Both cancers are closely linked to <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/04\/17\/42m-have-hpv-and-it-causes-more-cancers-than-you-realize-survey\/\">HPV<\/a> \u2014 a common STI that can now be largely prevented through vaccination. <\/p>\n<p>Other factors may also be at play. Married women, for instance, often have more children \u2014 a factor known as \u201cparity\u201d \u2014 which can lower the risk of certain cancers like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news-medical.net\/news\/20221108\/More-babies-lower-risk-of-endometrial-cancer.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">endometrial<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/ovarian.org.uk\/ovarian-cancer\/ovarian-cancer-prevention\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ovarian<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers said this may be linked to the greater financial and emotional stability often associated with marriage.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, cancer risk varied by gender.<\/p>\n<p>Never-married men were about 70% more likely to develop cancer than married men, while never-married women had an 85% higher risk compared with their married counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>That flips the usual script, with past research showing that men men often <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/11\/22\/lifestyle\/married-men-tend-to-age-slower-than-singles-for-women-its-complicated\/\">reap bigger health benefits<\/a> from marriage. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>People who have never been married may be at a higher risk of developing cancer, the study suggests.  <span class=\"credit\">Art_Photo \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The patterns also shifted across different racial groups.<\/p>\n<p>Never-married Black men, for example, had the highest overall cancer rates. However, married Black men had lower cancer rates than married white men \u2014 suggesting marriage may offer especially strong protective benefits in that demographic. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>The findings highlight another advantage of marriage when it comes to cancer, with previous studies showing that married people tend to get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/news-releases\/704861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">diagnosed earlier<\/a> and have <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/24062405\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">better survival rates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers suggested this is likely because married people often, though not always, have stronger support systems, greater economic stability and are more likely to follow cancer treatment regimens.<\/p>\n<p>But that doesn\u2019t mean a wedding ring doubles as a shield against disease. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt means that if you\u2019re not married, you should be paying extra attention to cancer risk factors, getting any screenings you may need, and staying up to date on health care,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/people.miami.edu\/profile\/c54d0c7942923b469e5bb4b3994ce81f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Frank Penedo<\/a>, associate director for population sciences and director of the Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor prevention efforts, our findings point to the importance of targeting cancer risk awareness and prevention strategies with attention to marital status,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The study suggests that unmarried women may face a higher risk of developing cancer compared with unmarried men. <span class=\"credit\">Malik E\/peopleimages.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The study had some limits. <\/p>\n<p>For one, people who smoke less, drink less, take better care of themselves and are more socially integrated may also be more likely to get married. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>Even so, the researchers found that the link between marriage and cancer was strongest in adults over 50, suggesting that as people age and accumulate risk, being hitched \u2014 or having been hitched \u2014 might offer an edge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese findings suggest that social factors such as marital status may serve as important markers of cancer risk at the population level,\u201d Pinheiro said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The study also didn\u2019t include unmarried people in committed relationships. Pinheiro said that group is probably small but worth keeping an eye on in future research.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, the team also hopes to track married, divorced and widowed adults over several decades to see how different marital statuses affects cancer risk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe association between marriage status and cancer risk is an interesting, new observation that deserves more research,\u201d Pinheiro said. <\/p>\n<p>The findings come as Americans are tying the knot less often, a tend that has persisted for decades. <\/p>\n<p>In 2024, just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2024\/families-and-living-arrangements.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">66% of Americans<\/a> ages 15 and older have been married at least once, down from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/social-trends\/2011\/12\/14\/barely-half-of-u-s-adults-are-married-a-record-low\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">85% in 1960<\/a>, according to Census data. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/08\/health\/married-or-single-whos-at-higher-cancer-risk\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your love life could be affecting more than just your heart. A sweeping new study compared people who are or have been married with those who\u2019ve&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}