WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Adults who have never been married have an increased risk for developing cancer, according to a study published online April 8 in Cancer Research Communications.
Paulo S. Pinheiro, M.D., Ph.D., from the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami School of Medicine, and colleagues analyzed Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data from 12 states for adults aged 30 years and older to examine cancer risk by marital status. Age-adjusted incidence rates were calculated and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were estimated comparing never-married to ever-married adults.
The researchers found that never-married adults had a higher incidence of cancer (IRR, 1.68 and 1.85 for men and women, respectively) across nearly all major cancer sites and racial/ethnic groups (IRR range, 1.62 to 1.96 for White men and Black men, respectively). The highest incidence was seen for never-married Black men; among ever-married men, lower rates were seen for Black versus White men. Site-specific IRRs for men reached 5.04 for anal cancer, while among women, they reached 2.64 for cervical cancer. For gynecologic cancers and for cancers linked to infections, tobacco, and alcohol, marital disparities were pronounced, while smaller differences were seen for breast, thyroid, and prostate cancers.
"These findings suggest that social factors such as marital status may serve as important markers of cancer risk at the population level," Pinheiro said in a statement.