Table 2 Distribution of social, health and clinical patient’s variables by age groups in stage II, III rectal cancer (n = 503)a
|  | N | <  65 years N = 203 n (%) | 65–80 years N = 235 n (%) | >  80 years N = 64 n (%) | P valueb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sociodemographic variables | |||||
Sex | 502 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Male |  | 128 (63.1) | 169 (71.9) | 41 (64.1) | 0.12 |
 Female |  | 75 (36.9) | 66 (28.1) | 23 (35.9) | 0.35 |
Deprivation index | 476 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Quartile 1 least deprived |  | 28 (14.7) | 41 (18.6) | 12 (18.8) | 0.66 |
 Quartile 2 |  | 68 (35.6) | 72 (32.6) | 16 (25.0) | 0.80 |
 Quartile 3 |  | 57 (29.8) | 71 (32.1) | 24 (37.5) |  |
 Quartile 4 most deprived |  | 38 (19.9) | 37 (16.7) | 12 (18.8) |  |
Level of education | 408 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Illiterate or with no formal education |  | 9 (5.3) | 30 (15.9) | 11 (22.4) | < 0.0005 |
 Primary |  | 100 (58.8) | 137 (72.5) | 33 (67.3) | < 0.0005 |
 Secondary |  | 34 (20.0) | 8 (4.2) | 1 (2.0) |  |
 University |  | 27 (15.9) | 14 (7.4) | 4 (8.2) |  |
Living arrangements | 403 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Living alone |  | 11 (6.7) | 30 (15.8) | 9 (18.8) | 0.01 |
 Living with others |  | 154 (93.3) | 160 (84.2) | 39 (81.3) | 0.005 |
Family history of cancer | 464 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 No |  | 97 (51.9) | 126 (58.3) | 42 (68.9) | 0.06 |
 Yes |  | 90 (48.1) | 90 (41.7) | 19 (31.1) | 0.02 |
Screening | 478 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 No |  | 167 (87.0) | 199 (88.8) | 58 (93.5) | 0.36 |
 Yes |  | 25 (13.0) | 25 (11.2) | 4 (6.5) | 0.18 |
Health behaviours and comorbidities | |||||
Smoking habits | 498 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Never smoker |  | 82 (40.4) | 104 (44.8) | 37 (58.7) | 0.001 |
 Current smoker |  | 49 (24.1) | 30 (12.9) | 3 (4.8) | 0.37 |
 Ex-smoker |  | 72 (35.5) | 98 (42.2) | 23 (36.5) |  |
Alcohol | 483 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 No |  | 175 (89.3) | 198 (87.2) | 56 (93.3) | 0.39 |
 Yes |  | 21 (10.7) | 29 (12.8) | 4 (6.7) | 0.70 |
ASA class | 490 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 I-II |  | 144 (73.1) | 118 (51.5) | 31 (48.4) | < 0.0005 |
 III |  | 51 (25.9) | 101 (44.1) | 31 (48.4) | < 0.0005 |
 IV |  | 2 (1.0) | 10 (4.4) | 2 (3.1) |  |
Charlson Index | 502 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 0 |  | 134 (66.0) | 118 (50.2) | 25 (39.1) | < 0.0005 |
 1 |  | 43 (21.2) | 60 (25.5) | 18 (28.1) | < 0.0005 |
  ≥ 2 |  | 26 (12.8) | 57 (24.3) | 21 (32.8) |  |
Tumour characteristics | |||||
Histological classification | 467 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Adenocarcinoma |  | 181 (96.8) | 201 (92.6) | 58 (92.1) | 0.05 |
 Mucinous adenocarcinoma |  | 5 (2.7) | 16 (7.4) | 4 (6.3) | 0.05 |
 Signet-ring cell carcinoma |  | 1 (0.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |  |
 Other types of carcinoma |  | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.6) |  |
Degree of differentiation | 389 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Low grade |  | 137 (86.7) | 153 (86.0) | 48 (90.6) | 0.68 |
 High grade |  | 21 (13.3) | 25 (14.0) | 5 (9.4) | 0.62 |
Stage at diagnosis (pTNM or cTNM) | 502 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 II |  | 61 (30.0) | 76 (32.3) | 27 (42.2) | 0.19 |
 III |  | 142 (70.0) | 159 (67.7) | 37 (57.8) | 0.11 |
Intervention | |||||
Main intervention | 502 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Elective |  | 200 (98.5) | 234 (99.6) | 64 (100.0) | 0.35 |
 Emergency |  | 3 (1.5) | 1 (0.4) | 0 (0.0) | 0.16 |
Curative resection | 476 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 R0 |  | 162 (84.4) | 193 (85.4) | 52 (89.7) | 0.60 |
 R1/R2 |  | 30 (15.6) | 33 (14.6) | 6 (10.3) | 0.37 |
Surgeon’s profile | 476 |  |  |  |  |
 General |  | 59 (30.3) | 71 (32.3) | 18 (29.5) | 0.87 |
 Coloproctologist |  | 136 (69.7) | 149 (67.7) | 43 (70.5) | 0.92 |
Cancer committee | 418 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 No |  | 52 (27.2) | 74 (33.2) | 19 (29.7) | 0.42 |
 Yes |  | 139 (72.8) | 149 (66.8) | 45 (70.3) | 0.42 |