Single Men Less Likely to Get Prostate Screens

Married men and men living with a significant other are more prone to get early screening for prostate cancer, a new study says.

The study found that even men with a family history of prostate cancer were 40 percent less likely to be screened if they lived alone compared to those who were married or shared a home with a significant other. The study, however, did not examine why this is so.

"In terms of motivating people to get screened, there may be benefit in targeting wives or significant others as well as men," lead author Lauren P. Wallner, a graduate research associate at the University of Michigan, said in an American Association for Cancer Research news release.