Overview
- The University of Miami team reported Thursday that married or previously married adults had lower cancer incidence than those never married.
- The analysis pooled records from more than 100 million people in 12 states from 2015 to 2022, a span that began after nationwide legalization of same‑sex marriage unified how marital status was recorded.
- Never‑married women had an 85% higher chance of a cancer diagnosis than married or formerly married women, compared with 70% for men.
- Gaps were widest for cancers tied to avoidable risks or infections, with anal cancer about five times higher in never‑married men and cervical cancer nearly three times higher in never‑married women.
- Authors and outside experts said the study cannot show cause and did not track unmarried partners, urging prevention and screening focused on smoking, alcohol, HPV vaccination and cervical checks.