Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36130756›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2022

Contribution of insurance status to the association between marital status and cancer-specific survival: a mediation analysis.

Kai-Bin Yang, Yuan-Zhe Zhang, Zi-Hang Chen, Chen-Fei Wu, Wei-Hong Zheng, Jia Kou, Wei Chen, Jin-Wei Chen, Si-Fan Qi, Qing Liu and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 33% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Marital status and post-radical prostatectomy outcomes: results from the SEARCH database.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Kai-Bin Yang *Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.ORCID 0000-0002-5517-1478
Yuan-Zhe Zhang *Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Zi-Hang Chen *Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Chen-Fei WuDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Wei-Hong ZhengDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Jia KouDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Wei ChenZhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Jin-Wei ChenZhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Si-Fan QiZhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Qing LiuSchool of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Ying SunDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Jun MaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Li LinDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China linli@sysucc.org.cn.
Sun Yat-sen University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo evaluate the extent to which marriage influences cancer-specific survival (CSS) by influencing the insurance status among patients with common solid cancers and the feasibility of reducing the survival gap caused by marriage by increasing private insurance coverage for unmarried patients.

settingA retrospective cohort study with patients retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results programme.

participantsPatients with nine common solid cancers diagnosed between 2007 and 2016 were included. Patients were excluded if their marital status, insurance status, socioeconomical status, stage or cause of death was unavailable, if survival time was less than 1 month, or if they were younger than 18 years at the time of diagnosis. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was CSS, which was compared between married and unmarried individuals. Mediation analyses were conducted to determine the contribution of insurance status to the association between marriage and CSS.

resultsMarried patients had better CSS than those unmarried (time ratio 1.778; 95% CI 1.758 to 1.797). Private health insurance was a key factor mediating the association between marital status and CSS (proportion mediated (PM), 17%; 95% CI 17% to 17.1%). The PM ranges from 10.7% in prostate cancer to 20% in kidney cancer. The contribution of private insurance to the association between marital status and CSS was greater among women than among men (PM 18.5% vs 16.7%). The mediating effect of private insurance was the greatest for the comparison between married and separated individuals (PM 25.6%; 95% CI 25.3% to 25.8%) and smallest for the comparison between married and widowed individuals (PM 11.0%; 95% CI 10.9% to 11.1%).

conclusions17% of the marital disparities in CSS are mediated by private insurance coverage. Increasing private insurance coverage for unmarried patients may reduce the survival gap related to marital status and sex. However, it is unclear whether better publicly funded insurance would have the same effect.

Indexed as

Mediation AnalysisNeoplasmsFemaleHumansInsurance CoverageKaplan-Meier EstimateMaleMarital StatusRetrospective StudiesSEER ProgramEPIDEMIOLOGYHealth policyONCOLOGYPUBLIC HEALTH

Identifiers

PMID36130756
PMCPMC9494571
OpenAlexW4296709987

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.