Table 1. Characteristics of the study population.

Factor	No. of cases	%
Year of diagnosis
1993	553	19.8
1994	552	19.8
1995	479	17.1
1996	610	21.8
1997	600	21.5
Age groups
0–39	14	0.5
40–49	93	3.3
50–59	312	11.2
60–69	717	25.7
70–79	946	33.9
⩾80	712	25.5
Sex
Male	1330	47.6
Female	1464	52.4
Carstairs deprivation quintile
(Least deprived) 1	510	18.3
2	600	21.5
3	594	21.3
4	527	18.9
(Most deprived) 5	562	20.1
Unknown	1	0.0
Previous cancer
No	2611	93.5
Yes	183	6.6
Charlson co-morbidity indexa
None	2160	77.3
1–2 conditions	95	3.4
⩾3 conditions	539	19.3
Scottish co-morbidity indexa
None	1994	71.4
1 condition	516	18.5
⩾2 conditions	284	10.2
Bed-days co-morbidity index (in 6 months prior to diagnosis)a
None	334	12
1–4 days	284	10.2
5–10 days	453	16.2
⩾11 days	1723	61.7
Bed-days co-morbidity index (between 6 months and 5 years prior to diagnosis)a
None	1555	55.7
1–4 days	290	10.4
5–10 days	296	10.6
⩾11 days	653	23.4
Tumour subsite
Head of pancreas	1263	45.2
Body of pancreas	112	4.0
Tail of pancreas	57	2.0
Other	40	1.4
Unspecified	1322	47.3
Tumour morphology
Neoplasm, not otherwise specified	222	8.0
Carcinoma, not otherwise specified	1523	54.5
Adenocarcinoma, not otherwise specified	902	32.3
Mucin-producing adenocarcinoma	51	1.8
Other	96	3.4
Microscopically verified
No	1616	57.8
Yes	1178	42.2
Metastases within 4 weeks of diagnosisa
No	2023	72.4
Yes	771	27.6
Presence of ascites recordeda
No	2674	95.7
Yes	120	4.3
Surgical resectiona
No	2663	95.3
Yes	131	4.7
Other surgerya
No	2102	75.2
Yes	692	24.8
Biliary stenta
No	2054	73.5
Yes	740	26.5
Chemotherapya
No	2646	94.7
Yes	148	5.3
Radiotherapya
No	2769	99.1
Yes	25	0.9
Caseload of main treating consultanta
Unknown	29	1.0
<5 cases	799	28.6
5–9 cases	612	21.9
10–19 cases	460	16.5
⩾20 cases	894	32.0
Caseload of hospital of treatmenta
Unknown	29	1.0
1 case	43	1.6
2–9 cases	113	4.1
10–29 cases	132	4.8
⩾30 cases	2477	89.6
Specialty of main treating consultanta
Specialist	230	8.2
Clinician with an interest in the pancreas	109	3.9
Nonspecialist	2426	86.8
Unknown	29	1.0
Total	2794	100

^aInformation derived from linked hospital discharge records does not include outpatient diagnostic or procedural information.