Study: Married Cancer Patients Likely To Live Longer

BOSTON (CBS) ---Married people who are diagnosed with cancer are likely to live longer than cancer patients who are not married.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Diane Stern spoke with Aizer

That's according to a new study led by Dr. Ayal Aizer, chief resident of the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Brigham and Women's and Dana Farber.

"The results were  quite surprising to us," Aizer said. "If you have a patient who hasn't been to the doctor for a while, maybe their wife tells them to go to the doctor and get their PSA checked and maybe they get diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier."

Aizer said the same is true for a spouse that suddenly develops a cough.

The study looked at more than 100,000 patients and 10 different types of cancer.