DISP-32. Marital Status and Survival in Glioblastoma: A Population-Based Analysis Using SEER

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, with limited survival despite advances in surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Social determinants of health, including marital status, have been shown to influence outcomes in various cancers, but their role in GBM has not been well characterized. In this study, we used the SEER 17 Registries database (2000–2021) to investigate the association between marital status and overall survival in adult patients diagnosed with histologically confirmed glioblastoma. Patients were categorized by marital status at diagnosis into Married, Divorced, Separated, Widowed, Single (never married), and Unmarried/Domestic Partner, and further stratified by sex. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves, and differences between groups were evaluated with log-rank tests. A total of 46,331 patients were included. Marital status was significantly associated with survival (global log-rank p < 0.001), with married patients demonstrating superior outcomes compared to all other groups. Widowed patients had the poorest survival across nearly all comparisons. In sex-stratified analyses, the survival advantage of being married persisted for both males and females, although married females had slightly better outcomes than married males (χ² = 44.71, p < 0.001). The detrimental effect of being widowed, single, or separated was observed in both sexes, suggesting that the impact of marital status on GBM outcomes is not sex-specific but broadly generalizable. Patients categorized as unmarried or in domestic partnerships had intermediate survival, indicating a potential partial benefit from non-marital support systems. These findings highlight marital status as a significant predictor of survival in glioblastoma. The consistent association between being married and improved outcomes suggests that psychosocial support may influence treatment adherence, care coordination, or mental health in ways that affect survival. Further studies are needed to explore the mechanisms underlying these disparities and to identify supportive care interventions for at-risk groups.