TABLE 2.
Sample Characteristics, and Prescription Drug and Medical Care Utilization in the Year Prior to Diagnosis of Lung Cancer, by Performance Status (PS) documentation level, (n = 552)
| Characteristic | Unknown PS (n =110) |
Known PS (n = 442) |
Documented PS (n = 261) |
Extrapolated PS (n = 181) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic Characteristics | ||||
| Average diagnosis age (SD) | 66.9 (9.9) | 67.5 (8.8) | 68.0 (8.6) | 66.9 (9.2) |
| Gender (%) | ||||
| Female | 45 | 42 | 38* | 48* |
| Male | 55 | 58 | 62 | 52 |
| Race (%) | ||||
| Asian | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Black | 31 | 30 | 28 | 34 |
| White | 69 | 69 | 71 | 66 |
| Clinical Characteristics | ||||
| AJCC stage (%) | ||||
| II | 4 | 11 | 10 | 11 |
| IIIA | 17 | 20 | 19 | 22 |
| IIIB | 24 | 18 | 17 | 20 |
| IV | 54 | 51 | 54 | 47 |
| Average Charlson score (SD) | 2.7 (3.6) | 2.8 (3.3) | 2.9 (3.5) | 2.7 (3.1) |
| Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (%) | 15.4 | 21.3 | 24.5* | 16.6* |
| Congestive heart failure (%) | 16.4 | 17.4 | 18.4 | 16.0 |
| Ischemic heart disease (%) | 8.2 | 9.3 | 10.3 | 7.7 |
| Peripheral vascular disease (%) | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.2 | 12.2 |
| Dementia (%) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.6 |
| Pelvic ulcer disease (%) | 2.7 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.3 |
| Rheumatologic disease (%) | 5.4 | 6.3 | 6.1 | 6.6 |
| Chronic pulmonary disease (%) | 32.7 | 41.4 | 41.4 | 41.4 |
| Liver disease (%) | 2.7 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.2 |
| Diabetes (%) | 19.1 | 28.3 | 29.9 | 26.0 |
| Diabetes with complications (%) | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| Paralysis (%) | 1.8 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| AIDS (%) | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Cancer (%) | 24.6 | 29.9 | 28.0 | 32.6 |
| Cancer with metastasis (%) | 5.4 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 6.6 |
| Renal disease (%) | 6.4 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 5.0 |
| Aneurysm (%) | 6.4 | 6.3 | 7.3 | 5.0 |
| Gangrene (%) | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Prescription Drug Utilization | ||||
| Average no. of dispensings (SD) | 8.7 (7.0) | 9.4 (7.1) | 9.5 (7.1) | 9.3 (7.2) |
| Pct with ≥ 1 dispensing | 85 | 89 | 91 | 86 |
| Medical Care Utilization | ||||
| Average no. IP days (SD)a | 2.7 (6.8) | 3.0 (7.7) | 2.4 (5.1)* | 3.9(10.4)* |
| Average no. IP stays (SD) | 0.4 (0.7) | 0.5 (0.8) | 0.4 (0.7)* | 0.6 (0.8)* |
| Average length of IP stays (SD)b | 5.8 (5.2) | 6.1 (5.2) | 6.0 (5.3) | 6.1 (5.0) |
| Average no. of OP visits (SD) | 5.9 (8.3) | 5.6 (8.6) | 5.7 (9.1) | 5.5 (7.8) |
| Pct with ≥ 1 OP visit | 75 | 76 | 77 | 76 |
| Average ≥ 1 ED visit (SD) | 0.7 (1.0) | 0.6 (1.1) | 0.7 (1.2) | 0.5 (1.0) |
| Pct with ≥ 1 home health claim | 25.4 | 29.0 | 31.4 | 25.4 |
| Pct with ≥ 1 ambulatory surgery claim | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.8 |
| Pct with ≥ 1 rehabilitation/SNF claim | 4.6 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 2.2 |
| Pct with ≥ 1 DME claimc | 10.9 | 12.0 | 13.4 | 9.9 |
a
Among all patients (including those with no inpatient stays).
b
No. of inpatient days divided by no. of inpatient stays – among patients with at least one inpatient stay.
c
DME included claims for portable oxygen, walkers, canes, wheelchairs, and hospital beds.
*
Significant difference at 5% level.
Abbreviations: standard deviation (SD); percent (Pct); number (no.); American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC); inpatient (IP); outpatient (OP); emergency department (ED); skilled nursing facility (SNF); durable medical equipment (DME).