Antisocial breast cancer sufferers are 60 per cent more likely to die from the disease than those with a busy social life.
Researchers also found they are 40 per cent more likely to suffer a tumour recurrence.
It backs up previous findings that loneliness can seriously damage recovery from illness with those isolated being 70 per cent more likely to die from any cause.
Experts monitored more than 9,000 women with breast cancer for two years after their diagnosis. They wanted to see how social bonding in the two years after their diagnosis affected survival.
Nearly 1,500 of the participants saw their tumour return, while 990 passed away from the disease.
The results showed that lonely patients were more likely to get another tumour and die from it.
Dr Candyce Kroenke, from the Kaiser Permanente health group in Oakland, California, said: “These findings confirm the beneficial influence of women’s social ties on breast cancer recurrence and mortality.”
She said more research is needed to explain the impact of loneliness on health, but urged GPs to quiz patients on their social networks.
Age UK has warned at least 300,000 older people are hit by loneliness due to a lack of care.
It said thousands were “chronically lonely” because they got no care from councils, neighbours, relatives or friends.
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