Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study population at baseline and 3-month visits (N = 667)
| Valid N a | Baseline visit | Valid N a | 3-month visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender, N (%) | 667 | |||
| Men | 306 (45.9) | – | ||
| Women | 361 (54.1) | – | ||
| Age (years) | 667 | |||
| Mean (SD) | 59.9 (12.1) | – | ||
| Range | [20–89] | – | ||
| Cancer typeb, N (%) | 667 | |||
| Breast | 129 (19.3) | – | ||
| Lung | 133 (19.9) | – | ||
| Ovarian | 52 (7.8) | – | ||
| Head and neck | 33 (5.0) | – | ||
| Genitourinary | 49 (7.3) | – | ||
| Gastrointestinal | 194 (29.1) | – | ||
| Lymphoma | 16 (2.4) | – | ||
| Other | 117 (17.5) | – | ||
| Time since diagnosis (years) | 657 | |||
| Mean (SD) | 2.1 (3.1) | – | ||
| Range | [0–27.4] | – | ||
| Family situation, N (%) | 665 | |||
| Patient does not need care from another person | 450 (67.7) | – | ||
| Patient needs and receives care from a relative, a caregiver or both | 215 (32.3) | – | ||
| Spread of cancer, N (%) | 666 | 537 | ||
| Local | 123 (18.5) | 113 (21.0) | ||
| Locoregional | 163 (24.4) | 111 (20.7) | ||
| Metastatic | 380 (57.1) | 313 (58.3) | ||
| Karnofsky index (%) | 651 | |||
| Mean (SD) | 81.8 (12.1) | – | ||
| Range | [1–100] | – | ||
| Cancer treatment, N (%) | 667 | 541 | ||
| Without treatment | 62 (9.3) | 176 (32.5) | ||
| In treatmentb | 605 (90.7) | 365 (67.5) | ||
| Chemotherapy | 553 (82.9) | 220 (40.7) | ||
| Monoclonal antibodies | 43 (6.4) | 35 (6.5) | ||
| Radiotherapy | 48 (7.2) | 23 (4.3) | ||
| Hormone therapy | 20 (3.0) | 28 (5.2) | ||
| Interferon | 1 (0.1) | 1 (0.2) | ||
| Symptomatic treatment | 70 (10.5) | 54 (10.0) | ||
| Pain | 51 (7.6) | 36 (6.7) | ||
| Other | 28 (4.2) | 34 (6.3) | ||
| Treatment intention | 602 | 365 | ||
| Adjuvant | 111 (18.4) | 57 (15.6) | ||
| Curative | 83 (13.8) | 38 (10.4) | ||
| Palliative | 408 (67.8) | 270 (74.0) | ||
| Comorbiditiesb | 667 | |||
| Anxiety | 75 (11.2) | 62 (11.5) | ||
| Depression | 65 (9.7) | 58 (10.7) | ||
| Dehydration | 4 (0.6) | 4 (0.7) | ||
| Infection | 8 (1.2) | 7 (1.3) | ||
| Heart failure | 10 (1.5) | 13 (2.4) | ||
| Respiratory failure | 42 (6.3) | 32 (5.9) | ||
| Chronic kidney disease | 14 (2.1) | 10 (1.8) | ||
| Liver disease | 14 (2.1) | 13 (2.4) | ||
| Malnutrition | 12 (1.8) | 25 (4.6) | ||
| Diarrhoea | 5 (0.75) | 2 (0.4) | ||
| Sleep disorders | 24 (3.6) | 17 (3.1) |
SD standard deviation
aThere were missing values in the data set
bEach patient could have more than one response