Table 1.
Patient and Family Characteristics
| Patient Characteristics1 | Total (n=1146) | Lung Cancer (n=886) | Colorectal Cancer (n=260) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| Male, No. (%) | 639 (55.8) | 514 (58.0) | 125 (48.1) |
| Age at death, No. (%), years | |||
| 65-69 | 204 (17.8) | 170 (19.2) | 34 (13.1) |
| 70-74 | 273 (23.8) | 222 (25.1) | 51 (19.6) |
| 75-79 | 260 (22.7) | 215 (24.3) | 45 (17.3) |
| ≥80 | 409 (35.5) | 279 (31.5) | 130 (50.0) |
| Race/ethnicity, No. (%) | |||
| White | 923 (80.5) | 726 (81.9) | 197 (75.8) |
| Black | 85 (7.4) | 54 (6.1) | 31 (11.9) |
| Hispanic | 58 (5.1) | 45 (5.1) | 13 (5.0) |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 41 (3.6) | 31 (3.5) | 10 (3.9) |
| Other | 39 (3.4) | 30 (3.4) | 9 (3.5) |
| Education, No. (%) | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 285 (24.9) | 231 (26.1) | 54 (20.8) |
| High school graduate | 658 (57.4) | 514 (58.0) | 144 (55.4) |
| College Graduate | 193 (16.8) | 135 (15.2) | 58 (22.3) |
| Income, No. (%) | |||
| <$20,000 | 352 (30.7) | 270 (30.5) | 82 (31.5) |
| $20,000-39,999 | 385 (33.6) | 318 (35.9) | 67 (25.8) |
| $40,000-59,999 | 177 (15.5) | 139 (15.7) | 38 (14.6) |
| ≥ $60,000 | 137 (12.0) | 93 (10.5) | 44 (16.9) |
| Married, No. (%) | 658 (57.4) | 521 (58.8) | 137 (52.7) |
| Region, No. (%) | |||
| Midwest | 316 (27.6) | 312 (35.2) | 4 (1.5) |
| South | 194 (16.9) | 95 (10.7) | 99 (38.1) |
| West | 634 (55.3) | 477 (53.8) | 157 (60.4) |
| Integrated health care system, No. (%) | 302 (26.4) | 227 (25.6) | 75 (28.9) |
| Stage at diagnosis, No. (%) | |||
| Stage I | 76 (6.6) | 55 (6.2) | 21 (8.1) |
| Stage II | 20 (1.8) | 16 (1.8) | 4 (1.5) |
| Stage III | 277 (24.2) | 228 (25.7) | 49 (18.9) |
| Stage IV | 725 (63.3) | 581 (65.6) | 144 (55.4) |
| Comorbid conditions before death, No. (%) | |||
| 0 | 357 (31.2) | 256 (28.9) | 101 (38.9) |
| 1 | 408 (35.6) | 322 (36.3) | 86 (33.1) |
| ≥2 | 381 (33.3) | 308 (34.8) | 73 (28.1) |
| Depression, No. (%) | 265 (23.1) | 210 (23.7) | 55 (21.2) |
| Time from diagnosis to death, median (IQR), days | 144.5 (54.0, 485.0) | 122.5 (47.0, 305.0) | 572.0 (103.0, 1504) |
| Timing of bereavement survey relative to patients of diagnosis of cancer, No. (%) | |||
| Baseline (3-6 months after diagnosis) | 615 (53.7) | 534 (60.3) | 81 (31.2) |
| Follow-up (12 months after diagnosis) | 231 (20.2) | 192 (21.7) | 39 (15.0) |
| Long term follow-up (7 years after diagnosis) | 300 (26.2) | 160 (18.1) | 140 (53.9) |
| Preferred course of treatment in last month of life, 2 No. (%) | |||
| Extend life as much as possible | 332 (29.0) | 264 (29.8) | 68 (26.2) |
| Relieve pain or discomfort as much as possible | 776 (67.7) | 608 (68.6) | 168 (64.6) |
| Don’t know/refused | 38 (3.3) | 14 (1.6) | 24 (9.2) |
|
| |||
| Family Characteristics 3 | |||
|
| |||
| Relationship, No. (%) | |||
| Spouse/partner | 498 (43.5) | 401 (45.3) | 97 (37.3) |
| Child or daughter/son-in-law | 474 (41.4) | 364 (41.1) | 110 (42.3) |
| Other relative | 113 (9.9) | 75 (8.5) | 38 (14.6) |
| Friend/other | 61 (5.3) | 46 (5.2) | 15 (5.8) |
| Accompanied patient to doctor appointments, No. (%)* | |||
| Always | 449 (58.0) | 388 (58.3) | 61 (56.5) |
| Usually | 136 (17.6) | 121 (18.2) | 15 (13.9) |
| Sometimes | 127 (16.4) | 107 (16.1) | 20 (18.6) |
| Never | 62 (8.0) | 50 (7.5) | 12 (11.1) |
| Discussed important medical decisions regarding cancer, No (%)* | |||
| Always | 464 (60.0) | 415 (62.3) | 49 (45.4) |
| Usually | 92 (11.9) | 81 (12.2) | 11 (10.2) |
| Sometimes | 136 (17.6) | 109 (16.4) | 27 (25.0) |
| Never | 82 (10.6) | 61 (9.2) | 21 (19.4) |
| Male (%)* | 189 (24.4) | 158 (23.7) | 31 (28.7) |
| Race/ethnicity, No. (%) | |||
| White | 622 (81.6) | 548 (83.7) | 74 (69.2) |
| Black | 50 (6.6) | 36 (5.5) | 14 (13.1) |
| Hispanic | 40 (5.3) | 33 (5.0) | 7 (6.5) |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 34 (4.5) | 28 (4.3) | 6 (5.6) |
|
| |||
| Family Characteristics 3 | Total (n=1146) | Lung Cancer (n=886) | Colorectal Cancer (n=260) |
|
| |||
| Days of contact with patient during last week of life, median (IQR) | 7.0 (6.0-7.0) | 7.0 (6.0, 7.0) | 1.0 (1.0, 7.0) |
| Time between death and bereavement survey, median (IQR), days | 144.5 (85.0, 551.0) | 131.0 (78.0-246.0) | 539.0 (116.5-1560.0) |
Missing patient data: education (N=10), income (N=95), region (N=2, Northeast), stage (N=48), comorbid conditions (N=1), preferred course of treatment (N=115; not asked on brief baseline decedent survey).
Reported by family member
All proxy respondents were asked to describe their relationship with the patient and report how many days they were in contact with the patient during the last week of life; however, questions about sex, race/ethnicity, frequency of accompanying patients to doctor appointments, and discussing important medical decisions regarding cancer were only asked in the baseline decedent survey and the decedent survey conducted 1 year after diagnosis (and not the decedent survey conducted 5-7 years after diagnosis). Missing data about family members are summarized here: gender (N=372), days of contact (N=74), accompanied patient to doctor appointments (N=372), discussed important medical decisions regarding cancer (N=372), race/ethnicity (N=400).