title: Marriage and divorce among childhood cancer survivors.
abstract: Many childhood cancer survivors have psychosocial late effects. We studied the risks for cohabitation and subsequent separation. Through the Danish Cancer Register, we identified a nationwide, population-based cohort of all 1877 childhood cancer survivors born from 1965 to 1980, and in whom cancer was diagnosed between 1965 and 1996 before they were 20 years of age. A sex-matched and age-matched population-based control cohort was used for comparison (n=45,449). Demographic and socioeconomic data were obtained from national registers and explored by discrete-time Cox regression analyses. Childhood cancer survivors had a reduced rate of cohabitation [rate ratio (RR) 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.73-0.83], owing to lower rates among survivors of both noncentral nervous system (CNS) tumors (RR 0.88; 95% CI: 0.83-0.95) and CNS tumors (RR 0.52; 95% CI: 0.45-0.59). Male CNS tumor survivors had a nonsignificantly lower rate (RR 0.47; 95% CI: 0.38-0.58) than females (RR 0.56; 95% CI: 0.47-0.68). The rates of separation were almost identical to those of controls. In conclusion, the rate of cohabitation was lower for all childhood cancer survivors than for the population-based controls, with the most pronounced reduction among survivors of CNS tumors. Mental deficits after cranial irradiation are likely to be the major risk factor.
authors.affiliation: Section of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Pediatric Clinic II, Juliane Marie Center, University Hospital, Rigshospitalet and Institute of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. susannevinkelkoch@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Susanne Vinkel
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Anne Mette Tranberg
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kejs
authors.forename: Gerda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Engholm
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Møller
authors.forename: Christoffer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.forename: Kjeld
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schmiegelow
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016543:Central Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult