Skip to main content

Living Alone Tied to Higher Risk for Cancer Death

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 2, 2023.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Nov. 2, 2023 -- Adults living alone have a higher risk for cancer death versus those living with others, according to a study published online Oct. 19 in Cancer.

Hyunjung Lee, Ph.D., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues examined the association between living alone and cancer mortality by sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The analysis included pooled data for 473,648 adults (aged 18 to 64 years) participating in the National Health Interview Survey (1998 to 2019) linked to the National Death Index, with up to 22 years of follow-up.

The researchers found that adults living alone had a higher risk for cancer death when adjusting for age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.32) and after additional adjustments for multiple sociodemographic characteristics and cancer risk factors (HR, 1.10), compared with adults living with others. Similar associations were seen in age-adjusted models stratified by sex, poverty level, and educational attainment, but the association was stronger among non-Hispanic White adults (HR, 1.33) than non-Hispanic Black adults (HR, 1.18). These associations persisted less strongly in fully adjusted models among men (HR, 1.13), women (HR, 1.09), non-Hispanic White adults (HR, 1.13), and adults with a college degree (HR, 1.22).

"Findings in this study underscore the significance of addressing living alone in the general population and among cancer survivors and call for interventions to reduce adverse effects of living alone and social isolation," Lee said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted November 2023

Read this next

AI-Assisted Contours Superior to Cognitively Defined Prostate Cancer Contours

WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 -- Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted definition of prostate cancer contours reduces underestimation of the extent of prostate cancer, according to a...

Vaginal Cancer Incidence Increasing Globally

WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 -- The incidence of vaginal cancer is increasing globally, according to a study published online June 25 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics...

Mean Cost of Bringing New Drug to U.S. Market Is $879.3 Million

TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- The mean cost of developing a new drug for the U.S. market is estimated to be $879.3 million when both drug development failure and capital costs are...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.