TABLE I.
Characteristics of patients dying of prostate cancer in Quebec during 2001–2013
| Characteristic | Patient deaths | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| Overall | During 2001–2005 | During 2005–2013 | |
| Patients (n) | 3106 | 884 | 2222 |
| Age at death (years) | |||
| Mean (95% CI) | 77.8 (77.5 to 78.0) | 75.9 (75.5 to 76.4) | 78.5 (78.2 to 78.8) |
| Median (IQR) | 78.0 (73.0–83.0) | 76.0 (71.0–81.0) | 79.0 (74.0–84.0) |
| Age group at death [n (%)] | |||
| ≤65 Years | 186 (6.0) | (7.6) | (5.4) |
| >65 to ≤70 Years | 310 (10.0) | (13.6) | (8.6) |
| >70 to ≤75 Years | 649 (20.9) | (26.1) | (18.8) |
| >75 to ≤80 Years | 787 (25.3) | (25.2) | (25.4) |
| 80+ Years | 1173 (37.8) | (27.5) | (41.9) |
| Year of death [n (%)] | |||
| 2001 | 180 (5.8) | (20.4) | |
| 2002 | 257 (8.3) | (29.1) | |
| 2003 | 222 (7.2) | (25.1) | |
| 2004 | 225 (7.2) | (25.5) | |
| 2005 | 223 (7.2) | (10.0) | |
| 2006 | 220 (7.1) | (9.9) | |
| 2007 | 211 (6.8) | (9.5) | |
| 2008 | 234 (7.5) | (10.5) | |
| 2009 | 236 (7.6) | (10.6) | |
| 2010 | 271 (8.7) | (12.2) | |
| 2011 | 276 (8.9) | (12.4) | |
| 2012 | 280 (9.0) | (12.6) | |
| 2013 | 271 (8.7) | (12.2) | |
| Rural residence [n (%)] | 682 (22.0) | (21.7) | (22.1) |
| Proximity to radiation oncology centre [n (%)] | 2319 (74.7) | (74.6) | (74.7) |
| Androgen deprivation therapy [n (%)] | |||
| Surgical | 253 (8.2) | (15.3) | (5.3) |
| Medical castration | 2968 (95.6) | (91.0) | (97.4) |
| Antiandrogens | |||
| Overall | 3029 (97.5%) | (97.2) | (97.7) |
| During last 3 years of life | 2669 (85.9) | (96.2) | (81.9) |
| During last 2 years of life | 2363 (76.1) | (89.1) | (70.9) |
| Tx given any time before death date [n (%)] | |||
| Chemotherapya | 757 (24.4) | (19.5) | (26.3) |
| Palliative radiation therapy | 1261 (40.6) | (44.8) | (38.9) |
| Abiraterone | 210 (6.8) | (0) | (9.5) |
| Bone-targeted therapy | 1129 (36.4) | (25.1) | (40.8) |
| None of the above | 538 (17.3) | (20.7) | (15.9) |
| Comorbiditiesb [n (%)] | |||
| Diabetes | 592 (19.1) | (15.2) | (20.6) |
| Dyslipidemia | 1195 (38.5) | (20.8) | (45.5) |
| Hypertension | 2040 (65.7) | (57.6) | (68.9) |
| Coronary artery disease | 830 (26.7) | (25.2) | (27.3) |
| Chronic heart failure | 335 (10.8) | (10.5) | (10.9) |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 140 (4.5) | (5.8) | (4.0) |
| Arrhythmia | 499 (16.1) | (15.2) | (16.4) |
Per the standard of care (mitoxantrone before 2005; docetaxel after 2005).
In this cohort, 55.2% of patients had 2 or more comorbidities. Comorbidities were registered in the 3rd year preceding death using diagnostics or treatment for chronic diseases [diabetes: ICD-9 code 250 or use of insulin or hypoglycemic agents; dyslipidemia: ICD-9 code 272 or use of lipid-lowering drugs; hypertension: ICD-9 codes 401–404 or use of thiazides or angiotensin converting-enzyme inhibitors (without furosemide, calcium channel blockers, or beta blockers), and without other markers of coronary artery disease], cardiovascular events [coronary artery disease: ICD-9 codes 410–414, ICD-10 codes 122–125, a medical procedure (coronary artery bypass grafting, angiography, or angioplasty) or use of oral nitrate; cerebrovascular disease: ICD-9 codes 430–438 or medical procedures; chronic heart failure: ICD-9 codes 398.91, 402, and 428, or a prescription for furosemide with digoxin, angiotensin converting-enzyme inhibitor, spironolactone, or beta blockers; arrhythmia: diagnosis (ICD-9 codes 426–427), a medical procedure using a pacemaker, and the use of drugs for cardiac arrhythmias (amiodarone, digoxin, quinidine, disopyramide, flecainide, mexiletine, procainamide, propafenone, or sotalol)]39.
CI = confidence interval; IQR = interquartile range; Tx = treatment; ICD = International Classification of Diseases (version 9 or 10).