Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population: non-sudden cancer deaths ( N = 2037)
| Characteristics | Belgium (N = 595) | The Netherlands (N = 335) | Italy (N = 830) | Spain (N = 277) | p-value b |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N(%) | N(%) | N(%) | N(%) | ||
| Age group | .156 | ||||
| 18-64 | 160(27.1) | 90(26.9) | 195(23.5) | 59(21.3) | |
| 65-74 | 131(22.2) | 94(28.1) | 210(25.3) | 65(23.5) | |
| 75-84 | 184(31.2) | 103(30.7) | 257(31.0) | 97(35.0) | |
| 85 or above | 115(19.5) | 48(14.3) | 168(20.2) | 56(20.2) | |
| Mean | 72.5 | 71.9 | 73.6 | 74.2 | |
| Gender | <.001 | ||||
| M | 328(55.1) | 177(53.2) | 448(54.0) | 186(67.6) | |
| F | 267(44.9) | 156(46.8) | 382(46.0) | 89(32.4) | |
| Types of malignancy | <.001 | ||||
| Lung | 148(24.9) | 80(25.0) | 182(26.5) | 53(19.8) | |
| Breast | 51(8.6) | 33(10.3) | 57(8.3) | 11(4.1) | |
| Colorectal | 69(11.6) | 38(11.9) | 102(14.8) | 49(18.3) | |
| Prostate | 25(4.2) | 23(7.2) | 35(5.1) | 29(10.8) | |
| Other | 302(50.8) | 146(45.6) | 312(45.3) | 126(47.0) | |
| Longest place of residence in the last year | <.001 | ||||
| Home or with family | 516(87.2) | 300(90.6) | 799(96.5) | 258(95.2) | |
| Care home | 65(11.0) | 30(9.1) | 21(2.5) | 10(3.7) | |
| Other | 11(1.9) | 1(0.3) | 8(1.0) | 3(1.1) | |
| Place of death | <.001 | ||||
| Home | 196(33.2) | 194(57.9) | 377(45.5) | 139(51.1) | |
| Nursinghome/Residential home for older people | 71(12.0) | 28(8.4) | 41(5.0) | 11(4.0) | |
| Hospital | 198(33.5) | 58(17.3) | 312(37.7) | 95(34.9) | |
| Palliative Care Unit/Hospice | 122(20.6) | 54(16.1) | 94(11.4) | 26(9.6) | |
| Elsewhere | 4(0.7) | 1(0.3) | 4(0.5) | 1(0.4) |
aMissing for age group: n = 5, gender: n = 4, Type of malignancy: n = 166, Longest place of residence last year: n = 15, Place of death: n = 11.
bχ2test on cross-country differences.