Table 1.
Cohort characteristics and tumour stage and location according to referral method
| Age | Total | H&N 2WW | Other referral pathway | p value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | ||
| < 50 | 36 | 13.00 | 22 | 12.20 | 14 | 14.70 | 0.364 |
| 50–59 | 75 | 27.20 | 53 | 29.30 | 22 | 23.20 | |
| 60–69 | 85 | 30.80 | 61 | 33.70 | 24 | 25.30 | |
| 70–79 | 55 | 19.90 | 30 | 16.60 | 25 | 26.30 | |
| > = 80 | 25 | 9.10 | 15 | 8.30 | 10 | 10.50 | |
| Mean (SD) | 62.68 (11.78) | 62.20 (11.18) | 63.56 (12.88) | ||||
| Sex | |||||||
| Female | 79 | 28.60 | 44 | 24.30 | 35 | 36.80 | 0.029 |
| Male | 197 | 71.40 | 137 | 75.70 | 60 | 63.20 | |
| Smoking status | |||||||
| Current smoker | 100 | 36.20 | 76 | 42.00 | 24 | 25.30 | 0.009 |
| Ex-smoker | 85 | 30.80 | 55 | 30.40 | 30 | 31.60 | |
| Non-smoker | 91 | 33.00 | 50 | 27.60 | 41 | 43.20 | |
| Stage at diagnosis | |||||||
| I | 46 | 16.70 | 21 | 11.60 | 25 | 26.30 | 0.020 |
| II | 30 | 10.90 | 20 | 11.00 | 10 | 10.50 | |
| III | 33 | 12.00 | 23 | 12.70 | 10 | 10.50 | |
| IV | 167 | 60.50 | 117 | 64.60 | 50 | 52.60 | |
| Tumour location | |||||||
| Hypopharynx/cervical oesophagus | 15 | 5.40 | 8 | 4.40 | 7 | 7.40 | 0.011 |
| Ear | 4 | 1.40 | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 4.20 | |
| Larynx | 44 | 15.90 | 31 | 17.10 | 13 | 13.70 | |
| Lip | 6 | 2.20 | 2 | 1.10 | 4 | 4.20 | |
| Oral cavity | 86 | 31.20 | 55 | 30.40 | 31 | 32.60 | |
| Oropharynx | 71 | 25.70 | 56 | 30.90 | 15 | 15.80 | |
| Salivary | 13 | 4.70 | 7 | 3.90 | 6 | 6.30 | |
| Unknown primary | 10 | 3.60 | 7 | 3.90 | 3 | 3.20 | |
| Salivary cavity/paranasal sinuses | 17 | 6.20 | 11 | 6.10 | 6 | 6.30 | |
| Nasopharynx | 10 | 3.60 | 4 | 2.20 | 6 | 6.30 | |
p values were calculated from t tests for continuous variables (i.e. age and time to diagnosis) and Chi2 for categorical variables. p values < 0.05 were considered significant