Marital status impacts survival of stage I non-small-cell lung cancer: a propensity-score matching analysis

Aim: This population-based analysis aimed to explore the associations among marital status, prognosis and treatment of stage I non-small-cell lung cancer.Materials & methods: The propensity score matching (PSM), logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards model were used in this study.Results: A total of 13,937 patients were included. After PSM, 10579 patients were co-insured. The married were more likely to receive surgical treatment compared with the unmarried patients (OR: 1.841, p < 0.001), and patients who underwent surgery also tended to have better survival (HR: 0.293, p < 0.001).Conclusion: Compared with unmarried patients, a married group with stage I NSCLC had timely treatment and more satisfactory survival. This study highlights the importance of prompt help and care for unmarried patients.