According to the Daily Mail - Health, the study analyzed data from more than 100 million people, focusing on adults aged 30 and over, and examined more than four million cancer cases diagnosed between 2015 and 2022. It included same-sex married couples and found that one in five people in the study had never married. The research was published in the journal Cancer Research Communications.
Specific cancer risks varied by gender, with men who had never married almost two-and-a-half times more likely to develop oesophageal cancer compared to married men, the Daily Mail - Health reports. The protective effect of marriage appeared strongest among black men, who had the highest overall cancer rates but the lowest once married. For HPV-related cancers, oesophageal and cervical cancers are strongly linked to infection with the human papillomavirus, a common virus spread through sexual contact that rarely causes symptoms but can trigger cancer over time.
Differences in HPV exposure and screening may help explain the gap in cervical and oesophageal cancer rates between never-married and married individuals, according to the Daily Mail - Health. Regarding reproductive cancers, the lower risk seen in married women could partly reflect higher rates of childbirth, which has a protective effect against some cancers affecting the female reproductive system, the Daily Mail - Health notes. The link between marriage and cancer risk was weaker for cancers with well-established screening programmes, such as breast, thyroid, and prostate cancer.
Marriage has long been linked to earlier cancer diagnosis and better survival, often attributed to the emotional, financial, and practical support partners provide, the Daily Mail - Health states. The study suggests marriage may also influence whether people develop cancer in the first place. However, the study leaves key unknowns, such as what specific mechanisms—like lifestyle factors, healthcare access, or stress levels—directly cause the increased cancer risk in never-married individuals.
It also remains unclear whether the observed associations are causal or correlational, and if other unmeasured factors, such as personality traits or social networks, might explain the link. Additionally, how the study controlled for potential confounding variables like income, education, or pre-existing health conditions in its analysis is not detailed.