The Effect of Marital Status on Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Survival: A Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Study

Abstract

Purpose: This study examined the role of marital status on survival outcome of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients using a population-based cancer registry.Methods: Patients with primary NPC diagnosed between 2004 and 2013 were included using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program. Patient demographic, clinicopathologic features, management, and survival outcomes were compared according to marital status. Cause-specific survival (CSS, NPC-related death) for marital status was analyzed.Results: The data of 3018 patients were included, with 61.4%, 11.1%, 21.8, and 5.6% of patients married, divorced (or separated), single, and widowed, respectively. Widowed patients had the highest proportion of elderly age (p < 0.001), were more likely to be female (p < 0.001), and had more well-to-moderately differentiated (p < 0.001) and node-negative disease (p = 0.038). Widowed patients were also less likely to have received radiotherapy and chemotherapy compared with patients of other marital status (p < 0.001). The 5-year CSS was 76.1%, 70.8%, 73.4%, and 59.8% in the married, divorced, single, and widowed groups, respectively (p = 0.001). Marital status was the independent prognostic factor for CSS. Widowed patients had a significantly increased risk of NPC-related death compared with married (hazard ratio [HR] 2.014, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.477-2.747, p < 0.001), divorced (HR 1.580, 95% CI 1.087-2.295, p = 0.017), and single (HR 2.000, 95% CI 1.402-2.854, p < 0.001) patients. The divorced (p = 0.067) and single (p = 0.949) groups had similar CSS to the married group.Conclusions: Being widowed was associated with an increased the risk of cancer mortality in NPC compared with being married, divorced, or single.

The Impact of Insurance and Marital Status on Survival in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

“…Our results are consistent with the research of Wu et al who had found that unmarried NPC patients were more likely than married ones to have worse prognosis and to die sooner [11]. Others have found that marriage is related to diagnosis at early-T and early-N stage, with a higher proportion of distant disease in unmarried NPC patients [12].…”

Marital status, an independent predictor for survival of gastric neuroendocrine neoplasm patients: a SEER database analysis

“…a. overall survival between married and unmarried patients; b G-NEN cause specific survival between married and unmarried patients; c. overall survival among single, married, widowed, and divorced/seperated patients; d G-NEN cause specific survival among single, married, widowed, and divorced/seperated patients diseases through the regulation of endocrine and immune systems. Our results show that all unmarried groups showed poorer survival outcome compared with the married group, but windowed G-NEN patients have the poorest prognosis, which is also demonstrated in studies regarding gastrointestinal stromal tumour, gastric cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and rectal cancer [26][27][28][29]. Single and separated G-NEN patients tend to be more prepared to build social support networks other than marriage compared to widowed patients.…”

Marital Status, An Independent Predictor for Survival of Gastric Neuroendocrine Neoplasm Patients: A Population-based, Propensity Score-matched Study

“…Our results show that all unmarried groups showed poorer survival outcome compared with the married group, but windowed G-NEN patients have the poorest prognosis, which is also demonstrated in studies regarding gastrointestinal stromal tumour, gastric cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and rectal cancer [24][25][26][27]. Single and separated G-NEN patients tend to be more prepared to build social support networks other than marriage compared to widowed patients.…”