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Table 1 Clinical characteristics and sociodemographic data, by initial treatment strategy

From: Symptoms, problems and quality of life in patients newly diagnosed with oesophageal and gastric cancer – a comparative study of treatment strategy

Patient characteristic

Total

n = 158

Oesophageal cancer

n = 107 (67.7%)

Curative n = 65

(60.7%)

Palliative n = 42

(39.3%)

p-value

Gastric cancer n = 51

(32.3)

Curative n = 34

(66.7%)

Palliative n = 17

(33.3%)

p-value

Age, yrs, mean ± SD1

71.0 ± 9.1

70.8 ± 7.8

69.0 ± 7.4

73.4 ± 7.8

0.004

71.5 ± 11.4

69.6 ± 10.8

75.4 ± 12.0

0.086

Weight loss, last 6 months2, kg

4.8 ± 5.0

4.9 ± 4.9

4.9 ± 5.1

4.9 ± 4.7

0.980

4.4 ± 5.3

4.7 ± 6.2

3.8 ± 3.0

0.679

BMI3

25.2 ± 4.1

25.3 ± 4.3

25.3 ± 4.4

25.3 ± 4.1

0.935

25.1 ± 3.7

25.9 ± 3.6

23.2 ± 3.3

0.022

Gender4

    

0.232

   

0.771

 Men, n (%)

113 (73.4)

84 (80.0)

48 (76.2)

36 (85.7)

 

29 (59.2)

20 (60.6)

9 (56.3)

 

 Women, n (%)

41 (26.6)

21 (20.0)

15 (23.8)

6 (14.3)

 

20 (40.8)

13 (39.4)

7 (43.8)

 

Marital status, n (%)5

    

0.006a

   

0.515a

 Married/civil partnership

113 (73.4)

79 (75.2)

48 (76.2)

31 (73.8)

 

34 (69.4)

25 (75.8)

9 (56.3)

 

 Divorced or separated

13 (8.4)

8 (7.6)

2 (3.2)

6 (14.3)

 

5 (10.2)

3 (9.1)

2 (12.5)

 

 Widowed

15 (9.7)

9 (8.6)

4 (6.3)

5 (11.9)

 

6 (12.2)

3 (9.1)

3 (18.8)

 

 Unmarried

13 (8.4)

9 (8.6)

9 (14.3)

 

4 (8.2)

2 (6.1)

2 (12.5)

 

Children, n (%)6

    

0.519 a

   

0.588 a

 Yes

139 (90.3)

94 (89.5)

55 (87.3)

39 (92.9)

 

45 (91.8)

31 (93.9)

14 (87.5)

 

 No

15 (9.7)

11 (10.5)

8 (12.7)

3 (7.1)

 

4 (8.2)

2 (6.1)

2 (12.5)

 

Type of residence, n (%)7

    

0.026 a

   

0.005 a

 Tenancy/tenants’ association

40 (26.0)

27 (25.7)

10 (15.9)

17 (40.4)

 

13 (26.5)

7 (21.2)

6 (37.5)

 

 Owner-occupied home/flat

29 (18.8)

19 (18.1)

12 (19.0)

7 (16.7)

 

10 (20.4)

4 (12.1)

6 (37.5)

 

 Single-family house/link house

82 (53.2)

57 (54.3)

39 (61.9)

18 (42.9)

 

25 (51.0)

22 (66.7)

3 (18.8)

 

 Nursing home

1 (0.6)

 

1 (2.0)

1 (6.3)

 

 Other

2 (1.3)

2 (1.9)

2 (3.2)

 

 

Highest education level, n (%)8

    

0.901 a

   

0.966 a

 Elementary school

77 (51.3)

53 (52.0)

31 (50.8)

22 (53.7)

 

24 (50.0)

15 (46.9)

9 (56.3)

 

 Upper secondary school, 2 years

21 (14.0)

15 (14.7)

9 (14.8)

6 (14.6)

 

6 (12.5)

4 (12.5)

2 (12.5)

 

 Upper secondary school, 3–4 years

25 (16.7)

14 (13.7)

8 (13.1)

6 (14.4)

 

11 (22.9)

8 (25.0)

3 (18.8)

 

 University < 3 years

6 (4.0)

6 (5.9)

3 (4.9)

3 (7.3)

 

 

 University ≥ 3 years

21 (14.0)

14 (13.7)

10 (16.4)

4 (9.8)

 

7 (14.6)

5 (15.6)

2 (12.5)

 

Employment status, n (%)9

    

0.652 a

   

1.000 a

 Employee

29 (19.3)

19 (18.8)

14 (22.6)

5 (12.8)

 

10 (20.4)

7 (21.2)

3 (18.8)

 

 Self-employed

9 (6.0)

7 (6.9)

4 (6.5)

3 (7.7)

 

2 (4.1)

1 (3.0)

1 (6.3)

 

 Pensioner

109 (72.7)

73 (72.3)

42 (67.7)

31 (79.5)

 

36 (73.5)

24 (72.7)

12 (75.0)

 

 Long-term sick leave

2 (1.3)

1 (1.0)

1 (1.6)

 

1 (2.0)

1 (3.0)

 

 Other

1 (0.7)

1 (1.0)

1 (1.6)

 

  

Histological type, n (%)10

    

0.405 a

    

 Adenocarcinoma

111 (72.5)

68 (65.4)

43 (68.3)

25 (61.0)

 

43 (87.8)

28 (87.5)

15 (88.2)

1.000 a

 Squamous cell carcinoma

32 (20.9)

32 (30.8)

19 (30.2)

13 (31.7)

 

 

 Other

10 (6.5)

4 (3.8)

1 (1.6)

3 (7.3)

 

6 (12.2)

4 (12.5)

2 (11.8)

 

M stage at diagnosis, n (%)

    

 < 0.001

   

 < 0.001 a

 M0

105 (66.5)

68 (63.6)

57 (87.7)

11 (26.2)

 

37 (72.5)

33 (97.1)

4 (23.5)

 

 M1

53 (33.5)

39 (36.4)

8 (12.3)

31 (73.8)

 

14 (27.5)

1 (2.9)

13 (76.5)

 

ASA score11

    

0.005 a

   

1.000 a

 1

7 (6.8)

5 (7.4)

5 (10.0)

 

2 (5.4)

2 (6.9)

 

 2

47 (45.6)

26 (39.4)

23 (46.0)

3 (18.8)

 

21 (56.8)

16 (55.2)

5 (62.5)

 

 3

46 (44.7)

32 (48.5)

22 (44.0)

10 (62.5)

 

14 (37.8)

11 (37.9)

3 (37.5)

 

 4

3 (2.9)

3 (4.5)

3 (18.8)

 

 

Performance status score, n (%)12

    

 < 0.001 a

   

0.904 a

 0

68 (49.6)

44 (47.3)

34 (59.6)

10 (27.8)

 

24 (54.5)

15 (51.7)

9 (60.0)

 

 1

57 (41.6)

42 (45.2)

23 (40.4)

19 (52.8)

 

15 (34.1)

10 (34.5)

5 (33.3)

 

 2

9 (6.6)

4 (4.3)

4 (11.1)

 

5 (11.4)

4 (13.8)

1 (6.7)

 

 3

3 (2.2)

3 (3.2)

3 (8.3)

 

 
  1. aFisher’s exact test
  2. ASA American Society of Anesthesiologists, BMI body mass index, SD standard deviation
  3. Missing: 14; 276; 310; 44; 54; 64; 74; 88; 98; 105; 1155; 1221