Table 1. Characteristics of study population and distribution of DT scores.
| Characteristic | Overall sample (n=214) | Mean DT score (SD) | Median (range) | P | DT <5 | DT ≥5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 63.3 (8.7) | |||||
| Min, max | 37, 79 | |||||
| Sex a | ||||||
| Male | 64 (56.6) | 3.3 (2.7) | 3.0 (0.0-9.0) | 0.91 | 43 (38.1) | 21 (18.6) |
| Female | 49 (43.4) | 3.3 (2.4) | 31 (27.4) | 18 (15.9) | ||
| DT | ||||||
| Median | 3.0 | |||||
| range | 0.0-9.0 | |||||
| Histologyb | ||||||
| Adenocarcinoma | 52 (46.0) | 3.3 (2.5) | 3.0 (0.0-9.0) | 0.18 | 34 (30.1) | 18 (15.9) |
| Squamous cell carcinoma NSCLC otherwise not specified, adenocarcinoma in situ | 41 (36.3)6 (5.3) | 3.1 (2.4)5.4 (2.9) | 3.0 (0.0-8.0)6.0 (0.0-8.0) | 29 (25.7)1 (0.9) | 12 (10.6)5 (4.4) | |
| SCLC | 14 (12.4) | 2.8 (2.9) | 2.1 (0.0-9.0) | 10 (8.8) | 4 (3.5) | |
| CCI | ||||||
| Median | 1.0 | |||||
| Min, max | 0, 5 | |||||
| 0-1 a | 98 (86.7) | 3.2 (2.4) | 3.0 (0.0-9.0) | 0.42 | 67 (59.3) | 31 (27.4) |
| >2 | 15 (13.3) | 4.0 (3.3) | 5.0 (0.0-9.0) | 7 (6.2) | 8 (7.1) | |
| Treatment b | ||||||
| Chemotherapy | 9 (8.0) | 4.2 (2.7) | 5.0 (0.0-8.0) | 0.34 | 4 (3.5) | 5 (4.4) |
| Surgery and (neo) adjuvant chemotherapy | 14 (12.4) | 3.9 (2.7) | 4.0 (0.0-9.0) | 9 (8.0) | 5 (4.4) | |
| Chemotherapy and sequential/concurrent Radiotherapy | 90 (79.6) | 3.1 (2.5) | 3.0 (0.0-9.0) | 61 (54.0) | 29 (25.7) | |
Values are given in numbers (percentages) and means unless stated otherwise.
a P-values calculated with the Mann-Whitney U test.
b P-values calculated with one-way ANOVA. Abbreviations: n, number of patients; SD, standard deviation; DT, distress thermometer score at first cycle of chemotherapy; NSCLC, non-small cell lung carcinoma; SCLC, small cell lung carcinoma, CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index.