Table 1. Baseline Characteristics of Patients Starting Treatment.
| Characteristic | Patients, No. (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Development Cohort (n = 12 162) | Validation Cohort (n = 15 845) | |
| Female | 6903 (56.8) | 9025 (57.0) |
| Age, y | ||
| 18-44 | 978 (8.0) | 1257 (7.9) |
| 45-64 | 5336 (43.9) | 6852 (43.2) |
| 65-74 | 3623 (29.8) | 4763 (30.1) |
| >74 | 2225 (18.3) | 2973 (18.8) |
| Rural residence | 1355 (11.1) | 2648 (16.7) |
| Income quintile | ||
| 1 | 1900 (15.6) | 2951 (18.6) |
| 2 | 2296 (18.9) | 3091 (19.5) |
| 3 | 2607 (21.4) | 2946 (18.6) |
| 4 | 2675 (22.0) | 3402 (21.5) |
| 5 | 2652 (21.8) | 3389 (21.4) |
| Missing | 32 (0.3) | 66 (0.4) |
| Aggregated diagnosis groups | ||
| 0-5 | 1324 (10.9) | 1718 (10.8) |
| 6-10 | 4915 (40.4) | 6518 (41.1) |
| >10 | 5923 (48.7) | 7609 (48.0) |
| ED visit in prior year | 7090 (58.3) | 9440 (59.6) |
| Hospitalization in prior year | 5631 (46.3) | 7560 (47.7) |
| Cancer typea | ||
| Gastrointestinal | 2912 (23.9) | 3924 (24.8) |
| Breast | 2586 (21.3) | 3554 (22.4) |
| Hematologic | 1987 (16.3) | 2498 (15.8) |
| Lung | 1644 (13.5) | 2169 (13.7) |
| Genitourinary | 955 (7.9) | 1219 (7.7) |
| Gynecological | 880 (7.2) | 1155 (7.3) |
| Other | 1198 (9.9) | 1326 (8.4) |
| ESAS score (4 or higher) | ||
| Pain | 1942 (16.0) | 2620 (16.5) |
| Missing | 4242 (34.9) | 4795 (30.3) |
| Tiredness | 3296 (27.1) | 4300 (27.1) |
| Missing | 4240 (34.9) | 4789 (30.2) |
| Drowsiness | 1904 (15.7) | 2463 (15.5) |
| Missing | 4243 (34.9) | 4788 (30.2) |
| Nausea | 633 (5.2) | 882 (5.6) |
| Missing | 4243 (34.9) | 4791 (30.2) |
| Lack of appetite | 1879 (15.4) | 2456 (15.5) |
| Missing | 4243 (34.9) | 4794 (30.3) |
| Shortness of breath | 1454 (12.0) | 2039 (12.9) |
| Missing | 4249 (34.9) | 4788 (30.2) |
| Depression | 1630 (13.4) | 2220 (14.0) |
| Missing | 4246 (34.9) | 4787 (30.2) |
| Anxiety | 2459 (20.2) | 3246 (20.5) |
| Missing | 4246 (34.9) | 4786 (30.2) |
| Well-being | 2941 (24.2) | 4129 (26.1) |
| Missing | 4246 (34.9) | 4812 (30.4) |
| ECOG score | ||
| 0 or 1 | 5649 (46.4) | 7469 (47.1) |
| 2 | 1203 (9.9) | 1529 (9.7) |
| 3 or 4 | 941 (7.7) | 1101 (7.0) |
| Missing | 4369 (35.9) | 5746 (36.3) |
| Systemic therapy intent | ||
| Curative, adjuvant, or neoadjuvant | 5090 (41.9) | 6738 (42.5) |
| Palliative | 7072 (58.2) | 9107 (57.5) |
| Cancer type–regimen AC30 risk, No./total No. (%) | ||
| Very low | 2675/11 853 (22.6) | 3012/15 460 (19.5) |
| Low | 3171/11 853 (26.8) | 4388/15 460 (28.4) |
| Moderate | 2677/11 853 (22.6) | 3794/15 460 (24.5) |
| High | 2002/11 853 (16.9) | 2547/15 460 (16.5) |
| Very high | 1328/11 853 (11.2) | 1719/15 460 (11.1) |
| Radiotherapy | ||
| Curative intent | ||
| Concurrent | 1525 (12.5) | 1748 (11.0) |
| Prior 60 d | 1258 (10.3) | 1626 (10.3) |
| Palliative intent | ||
| Concurrent | 462 (3.8) | 823 (5.2) |
| Prior 60 d | 870 (7.2) | 1249 (7.9) |
| No radiotherapy | 8047 (66.2) | 10 399 (65.6) |
| Facility levelb | ||
| 1 | 6750 (55.5) | 7268 (45.9) |
| 2 | 2747 (22.6) | 3973 (25.1) |
| 3 | 1948 (16.0) | 3810 (24.0) |
| 4 | 689 (5.7) | 739 (4.7) |
| Missing | 28 (0.2) | 55 (0.4) |
Abbreviations: AC30, at least 1 acute care use in the 30 days after starting systemic therapy; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; ED, emergency department; ESAS, Edmonton Symptom Assessment System.
a
Detailed information on cancer type is presented along with the treatment regimens in the eTable in the Supplement.
b
Level 1 represents centers with investigational new drug programs, 2 represents centers that perform high-complexity procedures such as head and neck chemoradiotherapy, 3 represents centers with medical oncologists on site, and 4 represents satellite centers without medical oncologists on site.30