Married People May Have Better Colorectal Cancer Outcomes, Fox Chase Cancer Center Study Shows

Namrata Vijayvergia, MD, Assistant Chief of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center
Namrata Vijayvergia, MD, Assistant Chief of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center

Marital status significantly impacts survival rates for patients with colorectal cancer, according to a new study co-authored by a Fox Chase Cancer Center researcher that was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Annual Meeting. Married individuals were found to have better survival rates than single or separated and divorced or widowed individuals.

“Research has shown that people who are by themselves face a double burden: They are typically diagnosed at later stages and experience worse treatment outcomes,” said Namrata Vijayvergia, MD, Assistant Chief of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at Fox Chase and senior author on the study. “Our findings indicate that the pattern has persisted over time, which suggests the need for more targeted outreach and screening approaches for unmarried individuals.”

Lisa Liu, MD, who presented the results of the study, worked on it under the mentorship of Vijayvergia, who she met while attending medical school at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Liu is now an internal medicine resident at George Washington University.

The research team analyzed data on colorectal cancer cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2021 gleaned from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. They stratified patients by marital status into three groups — married, single, and separated/divorced/widowed (SDW) — and also compared data across two time periods, 2000-2010 and 2011-2021.

The researchers found that overall survival improved across all marital groups between the 2000-2010 and 2011-2021 time periods, likely due to advances in cancer treatments and improved screening. However, the disparity between married and unmarried individuals persisted. In both periods, results showed that married individuals had the highest five-year overall survival rate (61.2% and 63.1%, respectively), followed by single individuals (51.1%, 54.5%) and then SDW individuals (43.8%, 45.7%). 

“We see in clinical practice that patients with partners demonstrate higher treatment compliance, have better appointment attendance, and are more likely to report side effects promptly, all factors that influence outcomes,” said Vijayvergia.

The data also showed that married individuals were more commonly diagnosed with localized, earlier stage cancer compared to the two other groups. Combined with their higher survival rates, this finding suggests that earlier detection may be key to better colorectal cancer outcomes.

“These results suggest we may need to challenge the status quo in our screening approaches,” Vijayvergia said. “Developing specialized screening efforts and targeted outreach programs for single populations could help close this gap.”

The study, “Effects of Marital Status on Survival in Patients With Colorectal Cancer,” was presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, which is being held May 30-June 3 in Chicago.

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

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