Table 1. Patient and tumor characteristics.
| Characteristics | No RT, n=14,401 (%) | Yes RT, n=26,377 (%) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median follow-up (years) | 1.4 | 1.25 | |
| Age (years) | <0.0001 | ||
| <50 | 1,179 (8.2) | 2,079 (7.9) | |
| 50-59 | 2,885 (20.0) | 5,833 (22.1) | |
| 60-69 | 4,409 (30.6) | 8,545 (32.4) | |
| 70-80 | 3,851 (26.7) | 6,934 (26.3) | |
| 80+ | 2,077 (14.4) | 2,986 (11.3) | |
| Gender | 0.0002 | ||
| Female | 3,370 (23.4) | 6,603 (25.0) | |
| Male | 11,031 (76.6) | 19,774 (75.0) | |
| Race | <0.0001 | ||
| White | 12,235 (85.0) | 21,039 (79.8) | |
| Black | 1,404 (9.7) | 3,927 (14.9) | |
| Other* | 687 (4.8) | 1,383 (5.2) | |
| Unknown | 75 (0.5) | 31 (0.1) | |
| Year of diagnosis | <0.0001 | ||
| Prior to 1990 | 2,063 (14.3) | 4,774 (18.1) | |
| 1990-1999 | 2,713 (18.8) | 5,365 (20.3) | |
| 2000-2011 | 9,625 (66.8) | 16,238 (61.6) | |
| SEER historic staging | <0.0001 | ||
| Localized** | 5,115 (35.5) | 7,155 (27.1) | |
| Regional*** | 3,424 (23.8) | 9,814 (37.2) | |
| Distant | 3,273 (22.7) | 5,865 (22.2) | |
| Unstaged | 2,589 (18.0) | 3,543 (13.4) | |
| Location | <0.0001 | ||
| Cervical/upper thoracic | 768 (5.3) | 3,069 (11.6) | |
| Middle thoracic | 2,273 (15.8) | 5,931 (22.5) | |
| Lower thoracic | 9,049 (62.8) | 14,651 (55.5) | |
| Thoracic | 357 (2.5) | 989 (3.7) | |
| NOS | 1,954 (13.6) | 1,737 (6.6) | |
| Extent of surgery | <0.0001 | ||
| Esophagectomy | 9,568 (66.4) | 10,288 (39.0) | |
| Other | 4,833 (33.6) | 16,086 (61.0) | |
*, other race includes American Indian, Alaskan Native, Asian and Pacific Islander; **, localized defined as T1 or T2 with negative nodes; ***, regional defined as T3 or T4 with negative nodes or any T stage with positive nodes. RT, radiation therapy.