Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of rural and urban HNC patients at diagnosis
| Rural N = 192 (42.3%) | Urban N = 262 (57.7%) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | .43 | ||
| Male | 125 (65.1%) | 161 (61.5%) | |
| Female | 67 (34.9%) | 101 (38.5%) | |
| Age | .55 | ||
| Mean (SD) | 60.9 (12.3) | 60.2 (12.4) | |
| Race | .17 | ||
| White | 187 (97.4%) | 252 (96.1%) | |
| Black | 1 (<1%) | 7 (2.7%) | |
| Other | 4 (2.1%) | 3 (1.1%) | |
| Stage | .54 | ||
| Early (0–2) | 74 (38.5%) | 97 (37.0%) | |
| Advanced (3–4) | 106 (55.2%) | 144 (55.0%) | |
| Not stageable/unknown | 12 (6.2%) | 21 (8.0%) | |
| Site | .09 | ||
| Oral cavity | 72 (37.5%) | 117 (44.6%) | |
| Oropharynx | 39 (20.3%) | 57 (21.7%) | |
| Hypopharynx | 7 (3.6%) | 12 (4.6%) | |
| Larynx | 45 (23.4%) | 35 (13.4%) | |
| Else/unknown | 29 (15.1%) | 41 (15.6%) | |
| Treatment | .78 | ||
| Surgery only | 70 (36.5%) | 97 (37.0%) | |
| Chemotherapy only | 0 (0%) | 1 (<1%) | |
| Radiotherapy only | 23 (12.0%) | 22 (8.4%) | |
| Combination | 84 (43.7%) | 118 (45.0%) | |
| Other/unknown | 15 (7.8%) | 24 (9.2%) | |
| Smoking status | .43 | ||
| Current | 57 (29.7%) | 67 (25.6%) | |
| Previous | 91 (47.4%) | 126 (48.1%) | |
| Never | 44 (22.9%) | 69 (26.3%) | |
| Drinking status | .21 | ||
| Current | 106 (55.2%) | 160 (61.0%) | |
| Previous | 86 (44.8%) | 102 (38.9%) | |
| SMAST score (Mean/SD/95% CI) | 2.07 (2.95); 1.65–2.49 | 1.51 (2.66); 1.19–1.84 | .03 |
| SMAST score | .01 | ||
| 0–1 | 116 (60.4%) | 193 (73.6%) | |
| 2 | 29 (15.1%) | 18 (6.9%) | |
| 3+ | 47 (24.5%) | 51 (19.5%) | |
| BDI score (Mean/SD/95% CI) | 8.5 (7.6); 7.5–9.4 | 8.3 (6.6); 7.6–9.0 | .77 |
| Minimal (0–9) | 124 (64.6) | 172 (65.6) | .93 |
| Mild (10–18) | 55 (28.6) | 76 (29.0) | |
| Moderate (19–29) | 9 (4.7) | 10 (3.8) | |
| Severe (30+) | 4 (2.1) | 4 (1.5) | |
| HNCI scores (Mean/SD/95% CI) | |||
| Aesthetics | 87.5 (21.4); 84.6–90.5 | 85.7 (24.6); 82.9–88.4 | .42 |
| Eating | 71.4 (25.8); 68.1–74.7 | 70.7 (25.0); 67.9–73.5 | .77 |
| Speech | 74.3 (23.1); 71.2–77.4 | 77.5 (22.2); 75.0–80.0 | .14 |
| Social Disruption | 80.5 (21.0); 77.8–83.3 | 82.0 (19.6); 79.8–84.2 | .39 |
Note: T-tests and chi-square test used as appropriate.