US EditionLarge US study finds never-married adults face higher risk for most major cancers
Researchers found 4.24 million cases and reported higher incidence among never-married adults, with the largest gaps in anal, cervical, and ovarian cancers.
- On April 8, 2026, researchers at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center published a study in Cancer Research Communications analyzing 4 million cancer cases, finding never-married adults face higher incidence of most major cancers.
- Researchers examined cancer data from 12 U.S. states, covering a population of over 100 million people between 2015 and 2022, categorizing marital status by comparing never-married individuals against those previously married.
- Never-Married men were 68% more likely to develop cancer, while never-married women faced an 83% higher risk, with disparities particularly pronounced among adults older than 55 years.
- Frank Penedo, associate director for population sciences and director of the Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute , advised those not married to "be paying extra attention to cancer risk factors" and get necessary screenings.
- Experts note that marriage itself does not prevent cancer; findings reflect how social support and "gentle nagging" to seek help may influence health outcomes, meaning public health strategies must deliver these benefits to everyone.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Study Finds Higher Cancer Risk in People Who Have Never Married
A major U.S. study found that people who have never married face significantly higher cancer risk. Photo Credit: GeekReporter Archive People who have never married face a dramatically higher cancer risk than those who have ever been married, a major new U.S. study has found. Researchers analyzed more than 4.2 million cancer cases across 12 states from 2015 to 2022 and found that never-married men were 68% more likely to develop cancer, while nev…
Study says marital status impacts cancer risk - but not how you may think · American Wire News
A new study found marriage may be the true relationship with benefits after examining cancer rates over the better part of a decade. While cultural extremists have advanced ideas of “free love” with ever-increasing “body counts,” research conducted through the University of Miami suggests such lifestyles may come at a high cost when compared to traditionalists. According to a study published this month, those who have never been married have bee…
Marriage status has surprising link to cancer risk, study suggests: ‘Clear signal’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Adults who never married are significantly more likely to develop cancer, according to new research from the University of Miami. A large study of more than 4 million Americans across 12 states found that this increased risk spans nearly every major cancer type. It is especially true for preventable cancers, such as types caused by smoking and infection. Men who never married were found to have a 70% h…
Does marriage prevent cancer? And who benefits the most?
Funda Demirkaya/Shutterstock.comMarriage, it turns out, may come with a side‑effect no one puts in the vows: people who have been married seem less likely to develop cancer than those who have never married at all. That is the provocative finding from a large new study that has raised interesting questions about what really keeps us healthy over a lifetime. If marriage shows up in the data as “protective”, is it love that matters, the piece of p…
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