Table 2.
Patient Characteristics
| Characteristic | % of Patients Interviewed (N = 206) |
|---|---|
| Age, years | |
| Mean | 66.6 |
| Standard deviation | 11.6 |
| Male | 45.1 |
| White | 95.1 |
| Education level | |
| Eighth grade or less | 1.0 |
| Some high school but did not graduate | 8.9 |
| High school graduate or GED | 36.6 |
| 1-3 years of college | 29.2 |
| 4-year college graduate | 11.9 |
| More than a 4-year college degree | 12.4 |
| Type of cancer | |
| NSCLC, stage IIIB | 4.9 |
| NSCLC, stage IV | 22.6 |
| Pancreatic, stage IV | 5.4 |
| Colorectal, stage IV | 30.4 |
| GU-prostate, stage IV | 5.9 |
| Breast, stage IV | 18.6 |
| GU-urinary bladder, stage IV | 3.4 |
| GU-renal pelvis and ureter penile, stage IV | 1.5 |
| Other | 4.4 |
| Health status | |
| Excellent | 9.4 |
| Very good | 25.6 |
| Good | 38.4 |
| Fair | 17.2 |
| Poor | 9.4 |
| Chose active treatment | 95.6 |
| Symptoms | |
| Pain | 55.1 |
| Trouble breathing | 35.3 |
| Anxiety | 44.6 |
Abbreviations: GED, General Education Development Test; NSCLC, non–small-cell lung cancer; GU, genitourinary.