Effect of marital status on the survival outcomes of cervical cancer: a retrospective cohort study based on SEER database

Abstract

Abstract Background Cervical cancer is the fourth most common malignant tumor troubling women worldwide. Whether marital status affects the prognosis of cervical cancer is still unclear. Here, we investigate the prognostic value of marital status in patients with cervical cancer based on the seer database. Material/Methods The demographic and clinical data of patients with cervical cancer were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 1975 to 2017. Patients were divided into two groups (married and unmarried) according to marital status, and then the clinical characteristics of each group were compared using the chi-square test. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce differences in baseline characteristics. The overall survival (OS) and cervical cancer-specific survival (CCSS) were assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method, univariate and multivariate Cox regression models, and stratified analysis. Moreover, univariate and multivariate competing risk regression models were performed to calculate hazard ratios (HR) of death risk. Results A total of 21,148 patients were included in this study, including 10,603 married patients and 10,545 unmarried patients. Married patients had better OS(P < 0.05) and CCSS (P < 0.05) compared to unmarried patients, and marital status was an independent prognostic factor for both OS (HR: 0.830, 95% CI: 0.798–0.862) and CCSS (HR: 0.892, 95% CI: 0.850–0.937). Moreover, after eliminating the competing risk, married patients (CCSD: HR:0.723, 95% CI: 0.683–0.765, P < 0.001) had a significantly decreased risk of death compared to unmarried patients. In stratified analysis, the married patients showed better OS and CCSS than the unmarried patients diagnosed in 1975–2000 and 2001–2017. Conclusions Being married was associated with a favorable prognosis of cervical cancer, and marital status was an independent prognostic factor for cervical cancer.