Table 1.

Study Population: All Individuals Who Died of Colon or Rectal Cancer

	n	%
Sex
Men	643	53.5
Women	558	46.5
Age at death
<65	294	24.5
65–74	299	24.9
75–84	381	31.7
85+	227	18.9
Mean (standard deviation): 72.2 (12.68)
Year of death
2001–2002	230	19.3
2003	227	18.9
2004	231	19.2
2005	244	20.3
2006	164	13.7
2007-March 31,2008	164	8.7
Number of comorbidities
0	654	54.5
1	255	21.2
2+	292	24.3
Stage at diagnosis
I	49	4.1
II	190	15.8
III	287	23.9
IV	579	48.2
Unknown	96	8.0
Rural/urban
Rural	485	40.4
Urban	716	59.6
Income ($)
<30,000	301	25.1
30,000–44,999	552	46.0
45,000+	309	25.7
Missing	39	3.2
Length of survival after diagnosis (days)
0–99	304	25.3
100–299	262	21.8
300–749	347	28.9
750+	288	24.0
Location of death
In hospital	753	62.7
Elsewhere	448	37.3
Number of ER visits in the last 30 days of life
0	922	76.8
1+	279	23.2
Residing in a long-term care facility
Yes	112	9.3
No	1,089	90.7
Registered in a PCPa in CDHAb or CBDHAc,d
Yes	443	73.6
No	159	26.4
Registered in a PCP in CDHA or CBDHA >60 days before deathe
Yes	214	48.3
No	229	51.7
Distance to the nearest PCP (km)
0–9.99	317	52.7
10–19.99	156	25.9
20+	129	21.4

^aPalliative care program.

^bCapital District Health Authority.

^cCape Breton District Health Authority.

^dIndividuals who received care in the CDHA or the CBDHA (n=602).

^eIndividuals who received care in the CDHA and the CBDHA and who registered in a PCP (n=385).