Open AccessMarital Status and Survival in Patients Diagnosed with Melanoma
Author(s) -
Jared A. Maas,
Alberto Monreal,
Edgar Diaz,
Grettel Castro,
Pura Rodríguez de la Vega,
Marcia Varella
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
dermatology research and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.456
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1687-6113
pISSN - 1687-6105
DOI - 10.1155/2020/2485401
Subject(s) - medicine , spouse , marital status , hazard ratio , melanoma , confidence interval , proportional hazards model , demography , survivorship curve , affect (linguistics) , ethnic group , cancer , population , psychology , environmental health , cancer research , sociology , anthropology , communication
Previous research suggests the presence of a spouse may considerably affect melanoma detection rates through more frequent examinations, better access to healthcare, and improved social support. Yet, the role of marital status on melanoma survival is currently unknown. The aim of this study is to assess whether marital status is associated with survival following melanoma diagnosis.Methods We performed secondary analysis of data from all participants of the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) and included adult melanoma patients diagnosed between 2001 and 2009 with follow-up information available until 2015. Marital status was categorized as single, married, divorced, or widowed. The primary outcome was survival interval after melanoma diagnosis, which was assessed according to the time from the date of diagnosis to the time of death or last contact. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the independent association between marital status and survival.Results We assessed data from 36,578 melanoma patients. Married patients were significantly more likely to survive than single patients (Hazard ratio (HR) = 0.65; 99% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.57–0.74; P < 0.001) after adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, geographic location, insurance status, tobacco use, primary site, stage, and histology. There was no evidence of effect modification by gender ( P =0.189).Conclusions Married patients, including both men and women, had a 35% reduction in the risk of death after melanoma diagnosis compared with single patients, and mechanisms independent of earlier detection, such as social support, may play a role in survival in patients with melanoma.