Table 1.
Comparison of background characteristics of included and excluded patients
| Variables | Included patients (N = 359) | Excluded patients (N = 181) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | |||
| Median (IQR) | 77 (67–84) | 71 (63–80) | < 0.0001 |
| Mean (SD) | 75.3 (11.7) | 71.2 (11.8) | |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 184 (51.3) | 113 (62.4) | 0.018 |
| Female | 175 (48.7) | 68 (37.6) | |
| Ethnicity | |||
| Chinese | 312 (86.9) | 169 (93.4) | 0.027 |
| Malay | 23 (6.4) | 2 (1.1) | |
| Indian | 17 (4.7) | 6 (3.3) | |
| Eurasian | 3 (0.8) | 0 | |
| Others | 4 (1.1) | 4 (2.2) | |
| Marital status | |||
| Single | 32 (8.9) | 24 (13.3) | 0.028 |
| Married | 178 (49.6) | 102 (56.4) | |
| Divorced/separated | 20 (5.6) | 12 (6.6) | |
| Widowed | 129 (35.9) | 43 (23.8) | |
| Cancer type | |||
| Locally advanced/non-metastatic | 77 (21.4) | 22 (12.2) | 0.012 |
| Metastatic | 282 (78.6) | 159 (87.8) | |
| Cancer site | |||
| Brain | 9 (2.5) | 1 (0.6) | 0.110 |
| Head and neck | 13 (3.6) | 6 (3.3) | |
| Gastrointestinal system | 97 (27.0) | 38 (21.0) | |
| Hepatobiliary pancreatic system | 65 (18.1) | 35 (19.3) | |
| Breast | 25 (7.0) | 11 (6.1) | |
| Gynecological | 3 (0.8) | 2 (1.1) | |
| Genitourinary | 20 (5.6) | 11 (6.1) | |
| Hematological | 14 (3.9) | 5 (2.8) | |
| Prostate | 10 (2.8) | 8 (4.4) | |
| Skin | 3 (0.8) | 2 (1.1) | |
| Lung | 76 (21.2) | 48 (26.5) | |
| Multiple sites | 10 (2.8) | 3 (1.7) | |
| Unknown | 11 (3.1) | 5 (2.8) | |
| Others | 3 (0.8) | 6 (3.3) | |
| Duration of diagnosis (months) | |||
| Median (IQR) | 7 (2–18.5) | 9 (2–27) | 0.357 |
| Mean (SD) | 17.4 (28.2) | 19.7 (32.6) | |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Cardiovascular disease | 99 (27.6) | 49 (27.1) | 0.982 |
| Congestive heart failure | 13 (3.6) | 5 (2.8) | 0.787 |
| Connective tissue disease | 7 (1.9) | 6 (3.3) | 0.497 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 27 (7.5) | 14 (7.7) | 1.000 |
| Dementia | 44 (12.3) | 19 (10.5) | 0.646 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 129 (36.0) | 57 (31.4) | |
| Uncomplicated | 86 (24.0) | 39 (21.5) | |
| With end organ damage | 43 (12.0) | 18 (9.9) | 0.576 |
| Liver disease | 27 (7.5) | 16 (8.9) | |
| Mild | 8 (2.2) | 3 (1.7) | |
| Moderate-severe | 19 (5.3) | 13 (7.2) | 0.625 |
| Myocardial infarct | 47 (13.1) | 18 (9.9) | 0.357 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 10 (2.8) | 1 (0.6) | 0.158 |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 31 (8.6) | 12 (6.6) | 0.519 |
| Hemiplegia | 33 (9.2) | 9 (5.0) | 0.119 |
| Moderate-severe chronic kidney disease | 59 (16.4) | 17 (9.4) | 0.037 |
| Leukemia | 7 (1.9) | 3 (1.7) | 1.000 |
| Lymphoma | 6 (1.7) | 2 (1.1) | 0.891 |
| Acquired immune deficiency syndrome | 2 (0.6) | 0 | 0.798 |
| Charlson comorbidity index score | |||
| Median (IQR) | 11 (9–12) | 10 (9–12) | 0.153 |
| Mean (SD) | 10.7 (2.4) | 10.4 (2.2) |
Results are reported as frequencies with percentages unless otherwise stated
IQR, interquartile range; SD, standard deviation