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.