TABLE A5.
Patient Characteristics According to Educational Level
| Characteristic | Low | Medium | High | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | 2,182 (37.5) | 2,155 (37.1) | 1,476 (25.4) | |
| Age at diagnosis, median (IQR) | 59.4 (51.3-66.2) | 52.9 (45.8-61.9) | 51.3 (44.6-60.3) | <.001 |
| Age at diagnosis, No. (%) | <.001 | |||
| <40 | 49 (2.2) | 210 (9.7) | 186 (12.6) | |
| 40-49 | 394 (18.1) | 619 (28.7) | 475 (32.2) | |
| 50-59 | 691 (31.7) | 680 (31.6) | 431 (29.2) | |
| 60-69 | 782 (35.8) | 500 (23.2) | 313 (21.2) | |
| ≥70 | 266 (12.2) | 146 (6.8) | 71 (4.8) | |
| Menopausal status, No. (%) | <.001 | |||
| Premenopausal | 599 (27.9) | 1,029 (48.6) | 772 (53.5) | |
| Postmenopausal | 1,550 (72.1) | 1,090 (51.4) | 671 (46.5) | |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index, No. (%) | <.001 | |||
| 0 | 1,542 (77.0) | 1,696 (84.8) | 1,207 (88.6) | |
| ≥1 | 460 (23.0) | 305 (15.2) | 155 (11.4) | |
| Breast cancer stage, No. (%) | .32 | |||
| I | 1,106 (50.9) | 1,091 (51.0) | 708 (48.7) | |
| II | 843 (38.8) | 856 (40.0) | 596 (41.0) | |
| III | 224 (10.3) | 191 (8.9) | 149 (10.3) | |
| Breast cancer surgery type, No. (%) | .081 | |||
| None | 1 (0.1) | 1 (0.1) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Mastectomy | 541 (24.8) | 554 (25.7) | 425 (28.8) | |
| BCS | 1,638 (75.1) | 1,597 (74.2) | 1,049 (71.2) | |
| Lymph node management, No. (%) | .04 | |||
| SNLB only or none | 1,432 (65.6) | 1,363 (63.2) | 910 (61.7) | |
| Axillary dissection or other | 750 (34.4) | 792 (36.8) | 566 (38.3) | |
| Radiotherapy, No. (%) | .79 | |||
| No | 175 (8.0) | 163 (7.6) | 120 (8.1) | |
| Yes | 2,007 (92.0) | 1,991 (92.4) | 1,356 (91.9) | |
| Chemotherapy type, No. (%) | <.001 | |||
| None | 1,074 (49.2) | 965 (44.8) | 644 (43.6) | |
| Adjuvant | 910 (41.7) | 904 (42.0) | 606 (41.1) | |
| Neoadjuvant or both | 198 (9.0) | 285 (13.3) | 226 (15.3) | |
| Endocrine therapy, No. (%) | <.001 | |||
| TAM ± OFS | 358 (16.4) | 672 (31.2) | 506 (34.3) | |
| AI ± OFS | 1,182 (54.2) | 798 (37.0) | 522 (35.4) | |
| AI + TAM ± OFSs | 283 (13.0) | 289 (13.4) | 194 (13.2) | |
| OFS only | 4 (0.2) | 3 (0.1) | 0 (0.0) | |
| None | 354 (16.2) | 392 (18.2) | 253 (17.2) | |
| Household adjusted income €, median (IQR) | 1,591 (1,237-2,021) | 2,021 (1,588-2,750) | 2,750 (2,013-3,753) | <.001 |
| Income level, No. (%) | <.001 | |||
| Low (lowest tertile) | 984 (51.2) | 581 (28.9) | 190 (13.9) | |
| Medium | 653 (34.0) | 740 (36.8) | 376 (27.5) | |
| High (highest tertile) | 285 (14.8) | 691 (34.3) | 801 (58.6) | |
| Financial difficulties, No. (%) | <.001 | |||
| High | 393 (18.5) | 225 (10.6) | 77 (5.3) | |
| Medium | 530 (25.0) | 481 (22.7) | 226 (15.5) | |
| Low | 1,199 (56.5) | 1,413 (66.7) | 1,154 (79.2) |
NOTE. Income refers to tertiles of household income per consumption unit. Financial difficulties defined according to how monthly household resources allowed participants to live: high (with difficulty), medium (adequately but on the limit), or low (financially comfortable). Educational level: high (high school and three or more years of higher education), medium (secondary school ± 2 years of professional training), and low (no education or primary education).
Abbreviations: AI, aromatase inhibitor; BCS, breast-conserving surgery; OFS, ovarian function suppression; SNLB, sentinel lymph node biopsy; TAM, tamoxifen.