New Delhi, Oct 15 || Loneliness and social isolation can raise the risk of death from cancer as well as from all causes among those with the disease, according to a study.
In a pooled data analysis of 13 studies involving over 15 lakh patients, a team of Canadian researchers led by those from the University of Toronto found that loneliness is relatively common among people with cancer.
The potential impact of loneliness on death from cancer was reported for 2,142,338 patients in nine studies, and pooled data analysis showed that it was associated with an 11 per cent heightened risk of death from the disease, after adjusting for small study sizes.
"These findings collectively suggest that loneliness and social isolation may influence cancer outcomes beyond traditional biological and treatment-related factors," said the researchers in the paper published online in the open-access journal BMJ Oncology.