Table 2.
Comparison of clinical characteristics between pre- and post-implementation cohorts.
| Characteristic | Pre-Implementation (N = 98) | Post-Implementation (N = 34) | p Value * | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | (%) | N | (%) | |||||
| Age, Years | 0.394 ** | |||||||
| Mean (SD) | 61.8 (12.3) | 63.8 (10.4) | ||||||
| Gender | 0.281 | |||||||
| Male | 75 | (77) | 29 | (85) | ||||
| Female | 23 | (23) | 5 | (15) | ||||
| Disease Stage | 0.935 | |||||||
| I | 2 | (2) | 1 | (3) | ||||
| II | 12 | (14) | 3 | (10) | ||||
| III | 17 | (20) | 7 | (24) | ||||
| IV | 55 | (64) | 18 | (62) | ||||
| Tumour Site | 0.719 | |||||||
| Oral cavity/lip | 18 | (18) | 6 | (18) | ||||
| Oropharynx | 36 | (37) | 18 | (53) | ||||
| Hypopharynx | 3 | (3) | 1 | (3) | ||||
| Larynx | 13 | (13) | 4 | (12) | ||||
| Nasopharynx | 15 | (15) | 1 | (3) | ||||
| Nasal/paranasal sinus | 3 | (3) | 1 | (3) | ||||
| Salivary gland | 7 | (7) | 2 | (6) | ||||
| Other/unknown primary | 3 | (3) | 1 | (3) | ||||
| Tumour Type | 0.117 | |||||||
| Squamous cell carcinoma | 86 | (88) | 33 | (97) | ||||
| Other | 12 | (12) | 1 | (3) | ||||
| Treatment Modality | 0.361 | |||||||
| RT a—definitive | 15 | (15) | 9 | (26) | ||||
| CRT b—definitive | 43 | (44) | 16 | (47) | ||||
| Surgery + CRT—adjuvant | 8 | (8) | 2 | (6) | ||||
| Surgery + RT—adjuvant | 32 | (33) | 7 | (21) | ||||
| Performance Status | 0.310 | |||||||
| ECOG c 0 | 41 | (42) | 17 | (50) | ||||
| ECOG 1 | 32 | (33) | 14 | (41) | ||||
| ECOG 2 | 6 | (6) | 0 | (0) | ||||
| ECOG 3 | 1 | (1) | 0 | (0) | ||||
| ECOG 4 | 0 | (0) | 0 | (0) | ||||
| Not documented | 18 | (18) | 3 | (9) | ||||
| Tobacco Use | 0.143 | |||||||
| No | 33 | (34) | 15 | (44) | ||||
| Yes | 56 | (57) | 19 | (56) | ||||
| Not documented | 9 | (9) | 0 | (0) | ||||
| Smoking Status | 0.133 | |||||||
| Never smoked | 0 | (0) | 0 | (0) | ||||
| Current smoker | 19 | (34) | 3 | (16) | ||||
| Previous smoker | 37 | (66) | 16 | (84) | ||||
| Alcohol Use | 0.096 | |||||||
| None or social only | 49 | (50) | 21 | (62) | ||||
| 1–2 standard drinks/d | 8 | (8) | 2 | (6) | ||||
| >2 standard drinks/d | 26 | (27) | 11 | (32) | ||||
| Not documented | 15 | (15) | 0 | (0) | ||||
| HPV d Status | 0.059 | |||||||
| Negative | 4 | (4) | 5 | (15) | ||||
| Positive | 17 | (17) | 8 | (24) | ||||
| Not documented | 77 | (79) | 21 | (62) | ||||
| Nutrition Support Delivery Mode | 0.852 | |||||||
| Gastrostomy—PEG e | 37 | (54) | 10 | (50) | ||||
| Gastrostomy—RIG f | 13 | (19) | 4 | (20) | ||||
| Gastrostomy—surgical | 2 | (3) | 0 | (0) | ||||
| NGT g | 15 | (22) | 6 | (30) | ||||
| TPN h | 1 | (1) | 0 | (0) | ||||
| Height, cm | 0.768 ** | |||||||
| Mean (SD) | 171.5 (8.5) | 172.0 (9.1) | ||||||
| Weight, kg | 0.954 ** | |||||||
| Mean (SD) | 75.6 (23.0) | 75.3 (19.4) | ||||||
| BMI i, kg/m2 | 0.824 ** | |||||||
| Mean (SD) | 25.5 (7.1) | 25.2 (5.4) | ||||||
| Nutritional Status, PG-SGA j Score | <0.001 ** | |||||||
| Mean (SD) | 4.4 (5.6) | 8.7 (4.5) | ||||||
| Nutritional Status, PG-SGA Category | <0.001 | |||||||
| A (well nourished) | 63 | (84) | 17 | (52) | ||||
| B (moderately malnourished) | 8 | (11) | 13 | (39) | ||||
| C (severely malnourished) | 4 | (5) | 3 | (9) | ||||
a RT = radiotherapy; b CRT = chemoradiotherapy; c ECOG = European Co-Operative Group; d HPV = Human Papilloma Virus; e PEG = Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy; f RIG = Radiologically Inserted Gastrostomy; g NGT = Nasogastric Tube; h TPN = Total Parenteral Nutrition; i BMI = Body Mass Index; j PG-SGA = Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment; * χ2 of independence; ** t-test.