Table 2.
Patient and Tumor Characteristics Associated with Surgeon Referral to Medical Oncologists
| Referred to oncologist (79%) n 439 n (%) | = | Not referred to oncologist (21%) n 120 n (%) | = | Test of homogeneity P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment site | |||||
| Rhode Island | 162 (37) | 52 (43) | |||
| North Carolina | 117 (27) | 20 (17) | |||
| Minnesota | 114 (26) | 31 (26) | |||
| Los Angeles, CA | 46 (10) | 17 (14) | 0.11 | ||
| Age in yrs | |||||
| 65-69 | 119 (27) | 13 (11) | |||
| 70-79 | 234 (53) | 65 (54) | |||
| ≥ 80 | 86 (20) | 42 (35) | <0.0001 | ||
| Race | |||||
| White | 327 (93) | 89 (95) | |||
| Non-White | 26 (7) | 5 (5) | 0.84 | ||
| Education | |||||
| < 12 yrs | 73 (21) | 20 (21) | |||
| 12 yrs | 127 (36) | 39 (42) | |||
| ≥ 13 yrs | 153 (43) | 34 (37) | 0.46 | ||
| Health status | |||||
| Not ill | 322 (77) | 72 (65) | |||
| Mildly ill | 64 (15) | 18 (16) | |||
| Moderately to severely ill | 31 (8) | 20 (18) | 0.002 | ||
| Physical function: mean and standard deviation | 79.9, SD: 24.5 | 69.0 (31.3) | 0.002 | ||
| Mental health function: mean and standard deviation | 80.4, SD: 18.6 | 77.4 (18.1) | 0.18 | ||
| Stage | |||||
| I | 196 (45) | 74 (62) | |||
| II/IIIa | 242 (55) | 46 (38) | 0.001 | ||
| Estrogen receptor protein | |||||
| Positive or indeterminate | 358 (83) | 112 (96) | |||
| negative | 74 (17) | 5 (4) | 0.0004 | ||
| Definitive surgery | |||||
| Mastectomy | 237 (55) | 48 (41) | |||
| Breast conserving surgery | 194 (45) | 70 (59) | 0.006 | ||
| Therapy | |||||
| Received radiation therapy | 177 (51) | 39 (42) | 0.13 | ||
| Received chemotherapy | 80 (23) | 0 (0) | <0.0001 | ||
| Tamoxifen discussion | 289 (82) | 67 (71) | 0.02 | ||
| Tamoxifen prescription | 278 (79) | 68 (72) | 0.18 |