Study Links Certain Cancers to Divorce

A recent study finds the presence of either testicular or cervical cancer in one partner heightens the risk of divorce, Reuters reports. With most forms of cancer, the unaffected spouse is statistically likely to support his or her partner; however, women with cervical cancer are nearly 70% more likely to get divorced, and men with testicular cancer 34% more likely.

The study points out that both diseases can affect intimacy and lead to decreased sexual activity. The fact that the virus causing cervical cancer can be contracted through sexual contact might suggest infidelity, researchers posit. Both diseases also tend to hit younger people, whose marriages may not be as cemented. The study compared divorce rates among 215,000 cancer survivors. (More cervical cancer stories.)