Table 1.
Characteristics of the study sample (n = 375)
| Variable | Total (n = 375) |
|---|---|
| Age | |
| Mean (SD) | 65.4 (11.2) |
| Median (IQR) | 67.0 (58.0 to 73.0) |
| Gender | |
| Male | 219 (58.4%) |
| Female | 156 (41.6%) |
| Marital status1 | |
| Married/cohabiting | 249 (67.5%) |
| Widowed | 34 (9.2%) |
| Divorced/separated | 63 (17.1%) |
| Never married | 23 (6.2%) |
| Educational qualifications | |
| Degree/diploma | 58 (15.5%) |
| Professional/vocational/other | 56 (14.9%) |
| Secondary school (GCSE, O, A level) | 57 (15.2%) |
| None | 204 (54.4%) |
| Social class | |
| Professional/managerial and technical | 89 (23.7%) |
| Skilled | 152 (40.5%) |
| Partly skilled/unskilled | 30 (8.0%) |
| Not applicable/not known | 104 (27.7%) |
| Time from diagnosis (months) | |
| Mean (SD) | 24.0 (24.0) |
| Median (IQR) | 18.0 (7.0 to 31.0) |
| Surgery | |
| Yes | 329 (87.7%) |
| No | 46 (12.3%) |
| Radiotherapy | |
| Yes | 114 (30.4%) |
| No | 261 (69.6%) |
| Chemotherapy | |
| Yes | 255 (68.0%) |
| No | 120 (32.0%) |
1Only 369 patients gave valid responses to the question on marital status.