Table 1. Baseline characteristics of patients (n=243) with inoperable NSCLC (stage III/IV) in 1997 and 2001.
| 1997 | 2001 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients 117 (100%) | Patients 126 (100%) | P-value | |
| Age | |||
| <60 years | 21 (18) | 23 (18) | |
| >60 years | 96 (82) | 103 (82) | 0.951 |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 77 (66) | 75 (60) | |
| Female | 40 (34) | 51 (40) | 0.312 |
| Extent of deprivation | |||
| Affluent | 1 (1) | 7 (6) | |
| Intermediate | 44 (38) | 46 (36) | |
| Deprived | 72 (61) | 73 (58) | 0.425 |
| Stage | |||
| IIIa | 20 (17) | 8 (6) | |
| IIIb | 14 (12) | 27 (22) | |
| IV | 83 (71) | 91 (72) | 0.010 |
| Treatment | |||
| Radical radiotherapy | 6 (5) | 3 (2) | |
| Chemotherapy | 8 (7) | 29 (23) | |
| Palliative radiotherapy | 35 (30) | 38 (30) | |
| Palliative care only | 68 (58) | 56 (44) | 0.003 |
| Median survival (months) | 3.2 (2.4–4.1) | 6.6 (3.7–9.5) | <0.001 |
NSCLC=non-small-cell lung cancer.