INDIANAPOLIS — A new IU study suggests that patients diagnosed with cancer during a separation from their spouse or partner may face a shortened survival rate.
The researchers looked at the survival rates of cancer patients who were either married, widowed, divorced, separated or had never been married when they learned they had cancer.
They found that patients separated at the time of diagnosis had lower survival rates than all the other groups, and significantly lower than those of married patients.
About 37 percent of separated patients lived at least 10 years. But 58 percent of married patients lived that long.
IU neurologist Gwen Sprehn says the stress of separation may weaken the immune system and create greater vulnerability to cancer.
The study will be published Nov. 1 in the American Cancer Society journal, CANCER.
IU study says cancer patients separated from spouse, partner have shortened survival rate
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