Table 1 Characteristics of patients with a newly diagnosed esophageal or gastric cancer, by different waiting time groups
Characteristics | All | Waiting time groups | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1–8 days | 9–17 days | 18–29 days | 30–60 days | >60 days | ||
Number of patients | 7080 | 1733 | 1542 | 1556 | 1601 | 648 |
Demographic factors | ||||||
Age, mean ± SD, years | 71.4 ± 11.9 | 73.7 ± 12.5 | 70.4 ± 12.2 | 70.4 ± 11.6 | 71.1 ± 11.1 | 70.3 ± 11.1 |
Gender (% male) | 65.7 | 63.1 | 67.1 | 66.3 | 65.5 | 69.0 |
 Material status, n (%) | ||||||
  Single | 914 (12.9) | 235 (13.6) | 227 (14.7) | 180 (11.6) | 189 (11.8) | 83 (12.8) |
  Married | 3626 (51.2) | 797 (46.0) | 806 (52.3) | 843 (54.2) | 842 (52.6) | 338 (52.2) |
  Divorce | 1158 (16.4) | 284 (16.4) | 236 (15.3) | 242 (15.6) | 284 (17.7) | 112 (17.3) |
  Widow/widower | 1368 (19.3) | 411 (23.7) | 271 (17.6) | 288 (18.5) | 283 (17.7) | 115 (17.8) |
  Missing | 14 (0.2) | 6 (0.3) | 2 (0.1) | 3 (0.2) | 3 (0.2) | 0 (0.0) |
 Education level, n (%) | ||||||
   < =9 years | 3070 (43.4) | 778 (44.9) | 655 (42.5) | 643 (41.3) | 700 (43.7) | 294 (45.4) |
  10–12 years | 2561 (36.2) | 586 (33.8) | 545 (35.3) | 578 (37.2) | 600 (37.5) | 252 (38.9) |
   > =12 years | 1038 (14.7) | 227 (13.1) | 239 (15.5) | 255 (16.4) | 235 (14.7) | 82 (12.7) |
  Missing | 411 (5.8) | 142 (8.2) | 103 (6.7) | 80 (5.1) | 66 (4.1) | 20 (3.1) |
Disease-related factors | ||||||
 Time of follow-up (months, until death, emigration or the end of study) | ||||||
  Mean ± SD | 15.6 ± 18.0 | 10.4 ± 16.1 | 13.0 ± 15.8 | 16.3 ± 17.7 | 18.5 ± 18.0 | 26.6 ± 21.5 |
  Hospital Volume |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  Low (<20 cases/year) | 3310 (46.8) | 975 (56.3) | 749 (48.6) | 664 (42.7) | 659 (41.2) | 263 (40.5) |
  Median (20–40 cases/year) | 1868 (26.4) | 442 (25.5) | 456 (29.5) | 420 (27.0) | 387 (24.1) | 163 (25.2) |
  High (>40 cases/year) | 1899 (26.8) | 314 (18.1) | 337 (21.9) | 471 (30.3) | 555 (34.7) | 222 (34.3) |
  Missing | 2 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (0.0) |
 ASA physical status, n (%) | ||||||
  I-II | 4319 (61.0) | 902 (52.1) | 970 (62.9) | 1023 (65.8) | 1030 (64.3) | 394 (60.7) |
  III-IV | 2588 (36.6) | 791 (45.6) | 529 (34.3) | 494 (31.8) | 539 (33.7) | 235 (36.3) |
  Missing | 173 (2.4) | 40 (2.3) | 43 (2.8) | 39 (2.4) | 32 (2.0) | 19 (2.9) |
 Cancer type, n (%) | ||||||
  Gastric cancer | 3562 (50.3) | 1004 (57.9) | 788 (51.1) | 737 (47.4) | 715 (44.7) | 318 (49.1) |
  Esophageal cancer | 3518 (49.7) | 729 (42.1) | 754 (48.9) | 819 (52.6) | 886 (55.3) | 330 (50.9) |
 Cancer stage, n (%) | ||||||
  Stage 0 | 191 (2.70) | 24 (1.38) | 24 (1.56) | 29 (1.86) | 52 (3.25) | 62 (9.57) |
  Stage I | 905 (12.8) | 131 (7.56) | 157 (10.2) | 226 (14.5) | 260 (16.2) | 131 (20.2) |
  Stage II | 924 (13.1) | 155 (8.94) | 200 (13.0) | 252 (16.2) | 236 (14.7) | 81 (12.5) |
  Stage III | 2824 (39.9) | 688 (39.7) | 601 (39.0) | 615 (39.5) | 671 (41.9) | 249 (38.4) |
  Stage IV | 2188 (30.9) | 726 (41.9) | 557 (36.1) | 423 (27.2) | 369 (23.1) | 113 (17.4) |
  Missing | 48 (0.7) | 9 (0.5) | 3 (0.2) | 11 (0.7) | 13 (0.8) | 12 (1.9) |
 Admission type, n (%) | ||||||
  GP referral | 5406 (76.4) | 1071 (61.8) | 1128 (73.2) | 1303 (83.7) | 1367 (85.4) | 537 (82.9) |
  Emergency intake | 1517 (21.4) | 627 (36.2) | 367 (23.8) | 225 (14.5) | 201 (12.6) | 97 (15.0) |
  Missing | 157 (2.2) | 35 (2.0) | 47 (3.0) | 28 (1.8) | 33 (2.0) | 14 (2.1) |
 Treatment decided through multidisciplinary conference, n (%) | ||||||
  Yes | 4080 (57.6) | 668 (38.6) | 929 (60.3) | 990 (63.6) | 1074 (67.1) | 419 (64.7) |
  No | 2953 (41.7) | 1053 (60.8) | 599 (38.9) | 556 (35.7) | 521 (32.5) | 224 (34.6) |
  Missing | 47 (0.7) | 12 (0.6) | 14 (0.8) | 10 (0.7) | 6 (0.4) | 5 (0.7) |
 Planned treatment type, n (%) | ||||||
  Curative | 3038 (42.9) | 484 (27.9) | 607 (39.4) | 783 (50.3) | 824 (51.5) | 340 (52.5) |
  Palliative | 2631 (37.2) | 714 (41.2) | 663 (43.0) | 547 (35.2) | 548 (34.2) | 159 (24.5) |
  Supportive | 1400 (19.8) | 531 (30.6) | 271 (17.6) | 226 (14.5) | 227 (14.2) | 145 (22.4) |
  Missing | 11 (0.1) | 4 (0.3) | 1 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (0.1) | 4 (0.6) |