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Table 1 Participants’ baseline characteristics (n = 223)

From: Willingness of patients with cancer pain to participate in end-of-life decisions: a multi-center cross-sectional study from three coastal provinces in southern China

Variables

Total (n = 223)

Willing to participate in EOLD

P value

Willing (n = 104)

Unwilling* (n = 119)

Age, ys

55.8 ± 14.1

58.9 ± 13.3

53.1 ± 14.2

0.002

Gender, n (%)

   

0.514

 Male

138 (61.9)

62 (59.6)

76 (71.1)

 

 Female

85 (38.1)

42 (40.4)

43 (28.9)

 

Body mass idex

20.9 ± 3.3

20.9 ± 2.5

20.9 ± 3.8

0.881

Marital status, n (%)

   

0.638

 Married

212 (95.1)

98 (94.2)

114 (97.8)

 

 Divorced/widowed

7 (3.1)

4 (3.9)

2 (0.0)

 

 Unmarried

4 (1.8)

2 (1.9)

3 (2.2)

 

Education, n (%)

   

0.020

 Primary school and below

88 (39.5)

48 (46.2)

40 (46.7)

 

 Middle school

69 (30.9)

35 (33.7)

34 (20.0)

 

 High school

40 (17.9)

15 (14.4)

25 (20.0)

 

 Above high school

26 (11.7)

6 (5.7)

20 (13.3)

 

Living area, n (%)

   

0.057

 Rural

86 (38.6)

47 (45.2)

39 (33.3)

 

 Urban

137 (61.4)

57 (54.8)

80 (66.7)

 

Religiosity, n (%)

   

0.248

 Yes

113 (50.7)

57 (54.8)

56 (35.6)

 

 No

110 (49.3)

47 (45.2)

63 (64.4)

 

House-held income, n (%)

   

0.203

 Low

128 (57.4)

59 (56.7)

69 (58.0)

 

 Middle

84 (37.7)

37 (35.6)

47 (39.5)

 

 High

11 (4.9)

8 (7.7)

3 (2.5)

 

Previous smoking, n (%)

   

0.527

 Yes

69 (30.9)

30 (28.8)

39 (32.8)

 

 No

154 (69.1)

74 (71.2)

80 (67.2)

 

Previous alcoholism, n (%)

   

<  0.001

 Yes

27 (12.1)

23 (22.1)

4 (3.4)

 

 No

196 (87.9)

81 (77.9)

115 (96.6)

 

Tumor site, n (%)

   

0.408

 Digestive

143 (64.1)

67 (64.4)

76 (63.9)

 

 Respiratory

51 (22.9)

27 (26.0)

24 (20.2)

 

 Urinary

10 (4.5)

4 (3.8)

6 (5.0)

 

 Gynecological

3 (1.3)

0 (0.0)

3 (2.5)

 

 Other

16 (7.2)

6 (5.8)

10 (8.4)

 

Pathological stage, n (%)

   

0.785

 Stage I

3 (1.3)

2 (1.9)

1 (0.8)

 

 Stage II

15 (6.7)

8 (7.7)

7 (5.9)

 

 Stage III

84 (37.7)

37 (35.6)

47 (39.5)

 

 Stage IV

121 (54.3)

57 (54.8)

64 (53.8)

 

Pain score (NRS)

2.3 ± 1.0

2.4 ± 0.9

2.3 ± 1.1

0.784

NRS2002

2.1 ± 1.1

2.1 ± 1.2

2.1 ± 1.1

0.844

ECOG score

1.4 ± 1.0

1.3 ± 0.9

1.6 ± 1.1

0.028

Analgesic scheme, n (%)

   

0.418

 One-step

9 (4.0)

3 (2.9)

6 (5.0)

 

 Two-step

48 (21.5)

26 (25.0)

22 (18.5)

 

 Three-step

166 (74.5)

75 (72.1)

91 (76.5)

 

Daily dose of opioid analogues, mg

117.9 ± 115.8

138.8 ± 169.5

99.6 ± 140.9

0.008

Experience of explosive pain, n (%)

   

<  0.001

 Yes

126 (56.5)

85 (81.7)

41 (34.5)

 

 No

97 (43.5)

19 (18.3)

78 (65.5)

 

Cause of pain outbreak, n (%)

   

0.006

 Disease deterioration

98 (43.9)

43 (41.4)

55 (46.2)

 

 Improper use of analgesics

69 (30.9)

25 (24.0)

44 (37.0)

 

 Other

56 (25.1)

36 (34.6)

20 (16.8)

 

Experience of clinical rescue, n (%)

   

< 0.001

 Yes

57 (25.6)

45 (43.3)

12 (10.0)

 

 No

166 (74.4)

59 (56.7)

107 (90.0)

 
  1. ECOG Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, *: The patients of group unwilling were composed of those who refused to and did not sure whether to participate in EOLD