Table 1. Patient demographics and facility characteristics.
| Variable | No palliative therapy (n=56,626) (%) | Palliative therapy (n=11,449) (%) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | Mean: 67.5 | Mean: 66.6 | <0.001 |
| 18–59 | 25.5 | 27.9 | |
| 60–69 | 28.9 | 29.3 | |
| 70–79 | 28.9 | 28.6 | |
| ≥80 | 16.7 | 14.2 | |
| Sex | 0.036 | ||
| Male | 52.6 | 53.7 | |
| Female | 47.4 | 46.3 | |
| Race/ethnicity | <0.001 | ||
| White, non-Hispanic | 71.7 | 74.4 | |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 11.7 | 11.1 | |
| Hispanic | 13.6 | 11.9 | |
| Other | 2.9 | 2.6 | |
| Payer | <0.001 | ||
| Private | 33.6 | 33.6 | |
| Medicare | 53.9 | 53.8 | |
| Medicaid | 6.0 | 7.2 | |
| Unknown | 2.9 | 1.4 | |
| Self-pay | 3.6 | 3.9 | |
| Median income quartile | <0.001 | ||
| 1st | 16.5 | 17.5 | |
| 2nd | 20.9 | 22.5 | |
| 3rd | 25.7 | 26.0 | |
| 4th | 32.5 | 29.4 | |
| Charlson/Deyo comorbidities | <0.001 | ||
| 0 | 68.8 | 64.6 | |
| 1 | 23.5 | 26.0 | |
| ≥2 | 7.7 | 9.4 | |
| Facility type | <0.001 | ||
| CCP | 10.6 | 9.4 | |
| Comprehensive CCP | 51.8 | 49.3 | |
| Academic/research | 37.5 | 41.1 | |
| Other | 0.1 | 0.3 | |
| Region | <0.001 | ||
| Northeast | 21.4 | 27.0 | |
| South | 35.9 | 31.5 | |
| Midwest | 26.6 | 30.3 | |
| West | 16.1 | 11.2 | |
CCP, Community Cancer Program.