Table 1.
Trends in Baseline Demographic and Pathologic Characteristics of the Study Population
| Variable | Total | 1973-1980 | 1981-1990 | 1991-2000 | 2001-2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Patients (n)* | 93,167 | 6,714 | 12,902 | 20,745 | 52,806 |
| Median age (yrs) | 66 | 63 | 65 | 67 | 68 |
| Men (%) | 76 | 75 | 77 | 78 | 75 |
| White (%)* | 80 | 74 | 78 | 81 | 86 |
| Adenocarcinoma (%)* | 49 | 35 | 45 | 53 | 61 |
| Cancer of the distal esophagus (%) | 40 | 40 | 43 | 41 | 37 |
| SEER historic stage, (%)* | |||||
| Localized | 29 | 24 | 25 | 30 | 35 |
| Regional | 34 | 32 | 34 | 35 | 35 |
| Distant | 37 | 44 | 41 | 35 | 30 |
| 5-year Survival (%)* | 15.5 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 22 |
*
Significant at p < 0.05. The p values reported for trend analysis refers to comparison among all of the 4 decade quartiles.