New Delhi : Loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk of death from cancer as well as from all causes among people living with the disease, according to a new study.
Researchers from the University of Toronto and their Canadian team analyzed pooled data from 13 studies involving over 1.5 million patients and found that loneliness is relatively common among cancer patients.
The team examined 2,142,338 patients across nine studies and found that loneliness raised the risk of death from cancer by 11 percent, after adjusting for study size differences.
“These findings suggest that loneliness and social isolation influence cancer outcomes beyond traditional biological and treatment-related factors,” the researchers stated in their paper published online in the open-access journal BMJ Oncology.
The researchers identified biological, psychological, and behavioral mechanisms through which loneliness and social isolation increase mortality risk in cancer patients.
“Biologically, the stress response triggered by loneliness can lead to immune dysregulation and heightened inflammatory activity, ultimately contributing to disease progression,” they explained.
Cancer survivors also face social isolation stemming directly from their disease and treatment experiences. Loved ones may struggle to fully understand cancer-related fears, and patients often face stigma from visible treatment effects and anxieties linked to survivorship, affecting their psychosocial well-being.
Treatment can induce physical changes such as fatigue and cognitive impairments, which further limit social participation. Prolonged medical care can also erode pre-illness identity and weaken community connections.
If further methodologically sound studies confirm these findings, the researchers recommend incorporating routine psychosocial assessments and targeted interventions into cancer care to improve patient outcomes.
–IANS
