Skip to main content

Table 2 Characteristics of cancer and non-cancer cohorts

From: Resource use, costs and quality of end-of-life care: observations in a cohort of elderly Australian cancer decedents

 

Cancer cohort

Non-cancer cohort

n  = 9,862

n  = 15,483

n (%)

n (%)

Sex

  Female

3,116 (31.6)

7,521 (48.9)

  Male

6,746 (68.4)

7,962 (51.4)

Age at death

  65–74

294 (3.0)

254 (1.7)

  75–84

4,075 (41.3)

5,028 (32.5)

  85–94

5,215 (52.9)

9,232 (59.6)

  95–104

277 (2.8)

958 (6.2)

  ≥105

1 (0.0)

11 (0.1)

Year of death

  2005

1,204 (12.2)

1,772 (11.4)

  2006

2,236 (22.7)

3,199 (20.7)

  2007

2,351 (23.8)

3,473 (22.4)

  2008

2,133 (21.6)

3,619 (23.4)

  2009

1,938 (19.7)

3,420 (22.1)

Location of residence at death (remoteness area)

  Major cities

6,147 (62.3)

9,530 (61.6)

  Inner regional

2,777 (28.2)

4,400 (28.4)

  Outer regional

872 (8.8)

1,410 (9.1)

  Remote

39 (0.4)

81 (0.5)

  Very remote

5 (0.1)

2 (0.0)

  Missing

22 (0.2)

60 (0.4)

Socioeconomic disadvantage index at death

  (Most disadvantaged) 1–2

1,160 (11.8)

1,862 (12.0)

  3–4

2,831 (28.7)

4,470 (28.9)

  5–6

2,032 (20.6)

3,085 (19.9)

  7–8

1,418 (14.4)

2,248 (14.5)

  (Least disadvantaged) 9–10

2,019 (20.5)

3,183 (20.6)

  Missing

402 (4.1)

635 (4.1)

Charlson comorbidity burden1

  0

3,105 (31.5)

4,451 (28.8)

  1–2

1,500 (15.2)

2,068 (13.4)

  ≥3

1,713 (17.4)

1,578 (10.2)

  No hospitalizations during calculation period (cannot calculate)

3,544 (35.9)

7,386 (47.7)

RxRisk comorbidity burden2

  0

461 (4.7)

846 (5.5)

  1–2

1,298 (13.2)

2,130 (13.8)

  3–5

3,865 (39.2)

6,104 (39.4)

  ≥6

4,238 (43.0)

6,403 (41.4)

  1. 1Calculated using hospitalizations in the 12-month period before the last 6 months of life (months 18 to 7 before death).
  2. 2Calculated using dispensing history in the 6-month period before the last 6 months of life (months 12 to 7 before death).