Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Social support matters in cancer survival

Suzanne Koven, MD
Conditions
October 2, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

A study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology confirms what primary care doctors already know: marriage is often, but not always, good for your health. The study found that among more than a million people with common cancers such as colon, lung, breast and prostate, those who were married were more likely to be diagnosed early and stick through treatment, and survived longer than their single counterparts. WBUR’s CommonHealth report about the study, “Nagging Wives Save Lives,” emphasized this particular finding: marriage benefits men’s health more than women’s.

Before you rush to call the clergy and hire a caterer, though, let’s dig into the possible implications of this study. What is it about marriage that makes married people with cancer (according to this new study) 20% more likely to survive their cancers?

Here are some things I notice in my own patients:

Married people are more likely to bring someone (their spouse) to a medical appointment when they’re ill. That person can act as advocate, scribe, and a second set of ears.

Married people are more likely to have someone who can take on responsibilities such as childcare, eldercare, bill paying, and home maintenance when they are ill, which relieves stress.

Illness can make people feel isolated and married people often feel less isolated than single people when facing illness.

However, people don’t need to be married in order to have patient advocates, help at home, and social support. Witness my patient G., who just died at home, after a long struggle with metastatic cancer — much longer than her doctors thought possible. G. never married but she had close friends who came with her to doctors’ appointments and chemotherapy sessions, cooked for her, cared for her pets, and supported her in many other ways — as she had always supported them.

I was happy to see, in the reporting, that a lesson the authors took from the JCO study is that single women are more likely to gather the kind of support G. did than single men and that this may explain some of the disparity in health benefit men receive from marriage.

I draw these conclusions from the study:

1. Social support matters in cancer survival. We need to pay extra attention to single men in this regard, but single women and, yes, married people, may get measurable health benefits from the company and assistance of family, friends, and neighbors.

2. Marriage equality is a health issue. Same sex couples should have the same rights to marriage — and its potential health benefits — as heterosexual couples.

3. Single people like my patient G. can live longer and happier lives after a cancer diagnosis. I’m hoping this new study won’t discourage single people but, rather, give all of us a heads up about the powerful medicine that is human connection.

Suzanne Koven is an internal medicine physician and a Boston Globe columnist.  She blogs at In Practice at Boston.com, where this article originally appeared. She is the author of Say Hello To A Better Body: Weight Loss and Fitness For Women Over 50.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

Fighting the patient-computer attention war

October 2, 2013 Kevin 11
…
Next

Why the despicable deserve the best care possible

October 2, 2013 Kevin 13
…

Tagged as: Oncology/Hematology

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Fighting the patient-computer attention war
Next Post >
Why the despicable deserve the best care possible

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Suzanne Koven, MD

  • A hospital leader speaks out against the transgender military ban

    Suzanne Koven, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor about work

    Suzanne Koven, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Patients should silence their phones in the exam room

    Suzanne Koven, MD

More in Conditions

  • Measles is back: Why vaccination is more vital than ever

    American College of Physicians
  • Hope is the lifeline: a deeper look into transplant care

    Judith Eguzoikpe, MD, MPH
  • From hospital bed to harsh truths: a writer’s unexpected journey

    Raymond Abbott
  • Bird flu’s deadly return: Are we flying blind into the next pandemic?

    Tista S. Ghosh, MD, MPH
  • “The medical board doesn’t know I exist. That’s the point.”

    Jenny Shields, PhD
  • When moisturizers trigger airport bomb alarms

    Eva M. Shelton, MD and Janmesh Patel
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
    • How conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why young doctors in South Korea feel broken before they even begin

      Anonymous | Education
    • Measles is back: Why vaccination is more vital than ever

      American College of Physicians | Conditions
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Physician job change: Navigating your 457 plan and avoiding tax traps [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden chains holding doctors back

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
    • How conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why young doctors in South Korea feel broken before they even begin

      Anonymous | Education
    • Measles is back: Why vaccination is more vital than ever

      American College of Physicians | Conditions
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Physician job change: Navigating your 457 plan and avoiding tax traps [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden chains holding doctors back

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Social support matters in cancer survival
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...