Table 1. Baseline characteristics of pts based on age groups 18–65 years or >65 years.
| Demographic data | Age 18–65 years (n=309) | Age >65 years (n=305) | χ2-test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at study entry | P=0.001 | ||
| Median | 59 years | 71 years | |
| Range | 23–65 years | 66–89 years | |
| Age at primary diagnosis | P=0.009 | ||
| Median | 56 years | 68 years | |
| Range | 18–65 years | 53–85 years | |
| Gender (% of pts) | P=0.65 | ||
| Male | 66 | 64 | |
| Female | 34 | 36 | |
| ECOG (% of pts) | P=0.56 | ||
| 0 | 19 | 17 | |
| 1 | 61 | 59 | |
| 2 | 16 | 19 | |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| Location of primary tumour (% of pts) | P=0.81 | ||
| Colon | 59 | 60 | |
| Rectum | 41 | 40 | |
| Pre-existing medical disorder (% of pts) | |||
| Cardiovascular disease | 19 | 31 | P=0.0001 |
| Diabetes | 10 | 12 | P=0.3 |
| Allergies/hypersensitivity | 7 | 5 | P=0.6 |
| Pulmonary disease | 7 | 8 | P=0.2 |
| CCI, % | P=0.001 | ||
| No comorbidity (score 0) | 49 (n=151) | 12 (n=36) | |
| Moderate comorbidity (score 1–2) | 28 (n=87) | 40 (n=122) | |
| Severe comorbidity (score ⩾3) | 23 (n=71) | 48 (n=146) | |
Abbreviations: CCI=Charlson Comorbidity Index; pts=patients.