Table 1 Pancreatic cancer patient characteristics (N = 8,158)

Demographics

  Age at PC diagnosis, years

  Median [1st, 3rd quartiles]

74.4 [66.3, 81.5]

  Sex (female)

4,172

51.1

  Geography

  Hill

2,290

28.1

  Mountain

444

5.4

  Plain

5,424

66.5

  Year of PC diagnosis

  2003-2005

2,455

30.1

  2006-2008

2,730

33.5

  2009-2011

2,973

36.4

Pancreatic Cancer Related Variables

  Metastatic

2,955

36.2

  Pancreas resection

1,613

19.8

  Chemotherapy

3,290

40.3

  Radiotherapy

855

10.5

Comorbidities at PC diagnosis

  Elixhauser comorbidities count 22

  Median [1st, 3rd quartiles, max]

0 [0, 1, 7]

  At Least 1 Comorbidity

3,243

39.8

  Most Prevalent Elixhauser Comorbidities

  Diabetes Mellitus

1,576

19.3

  Chronic Pulmonary Disease

499

6.1

  Congestive Heart Failure

316

3.9

  Liver Disease

262

3.2

  Deficiency Anemias

259

3.2

  Peripheral Vascular Disease

233

2.9

  Valvular Disease

188

2.3

  Neurological Disorders

181

2.2

  Hypothyroidism

164

2.0

  Pulmonary Circulation Disease

147

1.8

  Depression

129

1.6

  Chronic Blood Loss

114

1.4

Functional Status at PC diagnosis

  Home health care or O₂ prescription in year prior to PC diagnosis

743

9.1

  Discharged to nursing home

576

7.1

PC patients with Drug Rx exposures in year prior to PC diagnosis

  ACE inhibitors

2,571

31.5

  ARBs

1,467

18.0

  Alpha blockers

384

4.7

  Beta blockers

1,695

20.8

  Calcium channel blockers

1,740

21.3

  Diuretics

1,676

20.5

  Aspirin

2,122

26.0

  NSAIDs

209

2.6

  Statins

1,417

17.4

  Metformin

992

12.2

  Other diabetes medications

1,110

13.6

  Non-users of ACEs and ARBs

4,377

53.7

  Other Antihypertensive Rx

1,440

17.7

  No Other Antihypertensive Rx

2,937

36.0

  None of the above medications

2,318

28.4

Time from PC diagnosis to end of follow-up, months

  Median [1st, 3rd quartiles]

6.2 [2.4, 16.0]

All-cause mortality

7,027

86.1