TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Total n (%) | COVID period group (%) | Pre‐COVID period group (%) | p‐value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | 273 | 117 | 156 | |
| Median age, years (range) | 65 (22–95) | 65 (27–89) | 64 (22–95) | 0.747 |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 208 (76.2) | 87 (74.4) | 121 (77.6) | 0.538 |
| Female | 65 (23.8) | 30 (25.6) | 35 (22.4) | |
| Race | ||||
| White | 241 (88.3) | 102 (88.3) | 139 (89.1) | 0.419 a |
| Hispanic | 16 (5.9) | 7 (6.0) | 9 (5.8) | |
| Black | 5 (1.8) | 4 (3.4) | 1 (0.6) | |
| Others | 11 (4.0) | 4 (3.4) | 7 (4.5) | |
| Country of origin | ||||
| United States | 268 (98.2) | 117 (100.0) | 151 (96.8) | 0.073 a |
| International | 5 (1.8) | 0 (0.0) | 5 (3.2) | |
| Median distance from primary address to institution, miles (range) | 162 (3–4221) | 157 (3–4221) | 170 (4–2285) | 0.208 |
| Prior treatment for current diagnosis | ||||
| No prior treatment | 231 (84.6) | 103 (88.0) | 128 (82.1) | 0.175 |
| Prior treatment | 42 (15.4) | 14 (12.0) | 28 (17.9) | |
| Reason for first visit | ||||
| Primary evaluation | 195 (71.4) | 90 (76.9) | 105 (67.3) | 0.082 |
| Second opinion | 78 (28.6) | 27 (23.1) | 51 (32.7) | |
| Recurrent disease | ||||
| No | 212 (77.7) | 87 (74.4) | 125 (80.1) | 0.257 |
| Yes | 61 (22.3) | 30 (25.6) | 31 (19.9) | |
| Tumor subsite | ||||
| Oral cavity | 51 (18.7) | 21 (17.9) | 30 (19.2) | 0.329 a |
| Oropharynx | 73 (26.7) | 28 (23.9) | 45 (28.8) | |
| Larynx/hypopharynx | 26 (9.5) | 13 (11.1) | 13 (8.3) | |
| Skin | 73 (26.7) | 27 (23.1) | 46 (29.5) | |
| Sinonasal | 15 (5.5) | 8 (6.8) | 7 (4.5) | |
| Thyroid | 12 (4.4) | 7 (6.0) | 5 (3.2) | |
| Major salivary gland | 12 (4.4) | 5 (4.3) | 7 (4.5) | |
| Other | 11 (4.0) | 8 (6.8) | 3 (1.9) | |
| Multidisciplinary tumor conference recommendation | ||||
| Primary surgery | 129 (47.3) | 50 (42.7) | 75 (48.1) | 0.446 a |
| Primary radiation therapy | 15 (5.5) | 4 (3.4) | 10 (6.4) | |
| Primary chemoradiation | 49 (17.9) | 23 (19.7) | 25 (16.0) | |
| Induction therapy | 30 (11.0) | 11 (9.4) | 18 (11.5) | |
| Systemic therapy | 35 (12.8) | 16 (13.7) | 19 (12.2) | |
| Further evaluation | 15 (5.5) | 13 (11.1) | 9 (5.8) | |
a
Fisher's exact test.