Singles Who Get Cancer Are Less Likely To Get Chemotherapy or Other Aggressive Treatments, Here's Why

Nobody wants to hear from their doctors that they have detected some form of growth in their bodies especially because they would most likely be a prelude to cancer.

If ever somebody does get cancer, in order to remedy it, they obviously need the best possible treatment even if it requires them to undergo chemotherapy and other painful, aggressive treatments, so that their chances of remission would become higher.

But it is actually a different story for singles out there than for married adults. John DelFattore from the Washington Post writes:

We’ve often heard about studies showing that married adults are more likely to survive cancer than singles. But buried in those same studies is another finding that hasn’t made the headlines. When surgery or radiotherapy is the treatment of choice, patients with spouses are more likely to get it.

I had no idea that marital status might affect medical care until an oncologist, talking about what treatment to give me, asked if I have a spouse or children. When I said no to both, he looked genuinely concerned. “But how will you manage?” he asked.

He then proposed to give me only one mild drug, although the standard of care was a much harsher — and more effective — combination chemotherapy. When I tried to describe my strong network of friends and extended family, he talked right over me.

So why do singles get treated differently from married individuals?

(Image credit: Michael Woloschinow/The Washington Post)