Table 1. Characteristics of the Study Sample.
| Variable | No. (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall (N = 6368) | CRT (n = 4482) | HRT (n = 1886) | |
| Age at RT commencement, median (IQR), y | 73.1 (68.2-77.3) | 73.2 (68.4-77.4) | 72.6 (67.8-77.1) |
| Year of treatment | |||
| 2016 | 957 (15.0) | 911 (20.3) | 46 (2.4) |
| 2017 | 1447 (22.7) | 1168 (26.1) | 279 (14.8) |
| 2018 | 1834 (28.8) | 1301 (29.0) | 533 (28.3) |
| 2019 | 2130 (33.4) | 1102 (24.6) | 1028 (54.5) |
| NCCN risk group | |||
| Low | 168 (2.6) | 101 (2.3) | 67 (3.6) |
| Intermediate | 2911 (45.7) | 1705 (38.0) | 1206 (63.9) |
| High/very high | 2836 (44.5) | 2281 (50.9) | 555 (29.4) |
| Regional (cN1) | 453 (7.1) | 395 (8.8) | 58 (3.1) |
| Jurisdiction | |||
| NSW/ACT | 1717 (27.0) | 1126 (25.1) | 591 (31.3) |
| Victoria/Tasmania | 1755 (27.6) | 1361 (30.4) | 394 (20.9) |
| Queensland | 1506 (23.6) | 1160 (25.9) | 346 (18.3) |
| SA/NT | 660 (10.4) | 559 (12.5) | 101 (5.4) |
| New Zealand | 730 (11.5) | 276 (6.2) | 454 (24.1) |
| Institution | |||
| Public | 4040 (63.4) | 2709 (60.4) | 1331 (70.6) |
| Private | 2309 (36.3) | 1756 (39.2) | 553 (29.3) |
| Not recorded | 19 (0.3) | 17 (0.4) | 2 (0.1) |
| SES quintilea | |||
| First (most disadvantaged) | 876 (21.7) | 689 (21.7) | 187 (21.6) |
| Second | 790 (19.6) | 635 (20.0) | 155 (17.9) |
| Third | 827 (20.5) | 652 (20.6) | 175 (20.2) |
| Fourth | 853 (21.1) | 666 (21.0) | 187 (21.6) |
| Fifth (most advantaged) | 668 (16.6) | 510 (16.1) | 158 (18.2) |
| Not recorded | 21 (0.5) | 17 (0.5) | 4 (0.5) |
| Location of residenceb | |||
| Major city | 2219 (55.0) | 1719 (54.2) | 500 (57.7) |
| Inner regional | 1069 (26.5) | 819 (25.8) | 250 (28.9) |
| Outer regional/remote | 724 (17.9) | 612 (19.3) | 112 (12.9) |
| Not recorded | 23 (0.6) | 19 (0.6) | 4 (0.5) |
Abbreviations: cN1, regional nodal disease; CRT, conventional fractionated radiation therapy; HRT, moderately hypofractionated radiation therapy; NCCN, National Comprehensive Cancer Network; NSW/ACT, New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory; RT, radiation therapy; SA/NT, South Australia and Northern Territory; SES, socioeconomic status.
a
Data on SES quintile are not available for NSW and New Zealand. Column percentages exclude these jurisdictions. For overall, N = 4035; for CRT, n = 3169; and for HRT, n = 866.
b
Data on location of residence are not available for NSW and New Zealand. Column percentages exclude these jurisdictions. For overall, N = 4035; for CRT, n = 3169; and for HRT, n = 866.