Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the entire study population.
| Total (N = 400) | ASP (N = 299) | CUP (N = 101) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median age, years (IQR) | 56 (46–65) | 52 (44–61) | 64 (56–70) | <0.01 |
| Female (%) | 257 (64) | 223 (74.6) | 34 (33.7) | <0.01 |
| Primary cancer | <0.01* | |||
| Breast (%) | 148 (37) | 134 (44.8) | 14 (13.9) | |
| Gynecologic | 58 | 50 | 8 | |
| NSCLC | 46 | 21 | 25 | |
| SCLC | 40 | 16 | 24 | |
| Sarcoma | 34 | 26 | 8 | |
| Head & necka | 20 | 11 | 9 | |
| Stomach | 16 | 12 | 4 | |
| Urologic | 16 | 12 | 4 | |
| Colorectal | 9 | 7 | 2 | |
| Pancreatobiliary | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Othersb | 9 | 7 | 2 | |
| Stage c (%) | <0.01 | |||
| I | 42 (10.5) | 41 (13.8) | 1 (1.0) | |
| II | 57 (14.3) | 51 (17.1) | 6 (5.9) | |
| III | 72 (18.0) | 60 (20.1) | 12 (11.9) | |
| IV | 228 (57.1) | 146 (49.0) | 82 (81.2) | |
| Treatment intent (%) | <0.01** | |||
| Palliative | 172 (43) | 97 (32.4) | 75 (74.3) | |
| Adjuvant | 152 (38.0) | 138 (46.2) | 14 (13.9) | |
| Neoadjuvant | 53 (13.3) | 49 (16.4) | 4 (4.0) | |
| CCRT | 23 (5.8) | 15 (5.0) | 8 (7.9) | |
| Median from chemotherapy to index visit to ED, days (IQR) | 12 (9–13) | 12 (9–13) | 11 (9–13) | 0.26 |
| Median of systolic BP, mmHg (IQR) | 118 (106.5–129) | 120 (109.5–130) | 110 (100–126) | <0.01 |
| Hypotension d (%) | 18 (4.5) | 0 | 18 (17.8) | |
| Severe infection d | 53 (13.3) | 0 | 53 (52.5) | |
| Acute organ failure d(%) | ||||
| Heart | 43 (10.8) | 0 | 43 (42.6) | |
| Respiratory | 41 (10.3) | 0 | 41 (40.6) | |
| Renal | 21 (5.3) | 0 | 21 (20.8) | |
| Decompensation of chronic organ insufficiency d (%) | 6 (1.5) | 0 | 6 (5.9) | |
| Bacteremia (%) | 40 (10.0) | 17 (5.7) | 23 (22.8) | <0.01 |
| Discharge from ED (%) | 20 (5.0) | 20 (6.7) | 0 (0) | |
| Median duration of illness, days (IQR) | 5 (3–10) | 4 (3–7) | 10 (6–17) | <0.01 |
| MASCC Low risk (%) | 338 (84.5) | 275 (92.0) | 63 (62.4) | <0.01; OR = 6.9 |
| Death (%) | 21 (5.3) | 0 (0) | 21 (20.8) |
a Including esophageal cancer
b Including metastasis of unknown origin
c One patient’s stage information is missing
d All occurred in CUP as per definition
*Chi-square test for independence to compare breast vs. nonbreast cancer between the two groups
** Chi-square test for palliative vs. nonpalliative
NSCLC, nonsmall cell lung cancer; SCLC, small cell lung cancer; ED, emergency department; CCRT, concurrent chemoradiotherapy