Table 1 Cohort characteristics
| Â | Cancer cohort (NÂ =Â 9862) | Comparison cohort (NÂ =Â 15,483) |
|---|---|---|
n (%) | n (%) | |
Sex | ||
 Female | 3116 (31.6) | 7521 (48.9) |
 Male | 6746 (68.4) | 7962 (51.4) |
Age in years: median (IQR) | 86 (83–89) | 87 (84–90) |
Age at death | ||
 65–74 | 294 (3.0) | 254 (1.7) |
 75–84 | 4075 (41.3) | 5028 (32.5) |
 85–94 | 5215 (52.9) | 9232 (59.6) |
 95–104 | 277 (2.8) | 958 (6.2) |
  ≥ 105 | 1 (0.0) | 11 (0.1) |
Year of death | ||
 2005 | 1204 (12.2) | 1772 (11.4) |
 2006 | 2236 (22.7) | 3199 (20.7) |
 2007 | 2351 (23.8) | 3473 (22.4) |
 2008 | 2133 (21.6) | 3619 (23.4) |
 2009 | 1938 (19.7) | 3420 (22.1) |
Age at cancer diagnosis: Median (IQR) | 83 (78–86) | Not applicable |
Years from diagnosis to death years: Median (IQR) | 1.6 (0.2–5.6) | Not applicable |
Location of residence (remoteness area) | ||
 Major cities | 6147 (62.3) | 9530 (61.6) |
 Inner Regional | 2777 (28.2) | 4400 (28.4) |
 Outer Regional | 872 (8.8) | 1410 (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 | ||
 (most disadvantaged) 1–2 | 1160 (11.8) | 1862 (12.0) |
 3–4 | 2831 (28.7) | 4470 (28.9) |
 5–6 | 2032 (20.6) | 3085 (19.9) |
  7–8 | 1418 (14.4) | 2248 (14.5) |
 (least disadvantaged) 9–10 | 2019 (20.5) | 3183 (20.6) |
Missing | 402 (4.1) | 635 (4.1) |
Comorbidity burdena (based on hospitalisations) | ||
 0 | 3105 (31.5) | 4451 (28.8) |
 1–2 | 1500 (15.2) | 2068 (13.4) |
  ≥ 3 | 1713 (17.4) | 1578 (10.2) |
 Unable to calculate, no hospitalisations | 3544 (35.9) | 7386 (47.7) |
Comorbidity burdenb (based on prescriptions) | ||
 0 | 461 (4.7) | 846 (5.5) |
 1–2 | 1298 (13.2) | 2130 (13.8) |
 3–5 | 3865 (39.2) | 6104 (39.4) |
  ≥ 6 | 4238 (43.0) | 6403 (41.4) |
Living in residential aged care at any time during the last 6 months of life | 3659 (37.1) | 8940 (57.7) |
Place of death | ||
 Hospital | 5740 (58.2) | 6861 (44.3) |
 Residential aged care | 2507 (25.4) | 6435 (41.6) |
 Other | 1615 (16.4) | 2187 (14.1) |