This table compares the demographic and disease characteristics between early group (referred within 90 days) and delayed group (after 90 days) depending on timing of referral to palliative care with metastatic cancer_ Hepatobiliary cancer was referred earlier and was statistically significant_ Majority of the patients in early group were referred as emergency_
| Total | ≤90 days (n=123) | >90 days (n=93) | P-Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Male | 121 | 65 | 56 | 0.28 |
| Female | 95 | 58 | 37 | ||
| Type Of cancer | Gastric | 51 | 25 | 26 | 0.00 |
| Hepatobiliary | 60 | 51 | 9 | ||
| Rectal | 37 | 15 | 22 | ||
| Esophageal | 37 | 17 | 20 | ||
| Periampullary | 24 | 14 | 10 | ||
| Anal Canal | 7 | 1 | 6 | ||
| Mode palliative review | Elective Referral | 154 | 83 | 71 | 0.15 |
| Emergency Referral | 62 | 40 | 22 | ||
| Chemo with in last 30 days of life | No | 177 | 106 | 71 | 0.06 |
| Yes | 39 | 17 | 22 | ||
| Imaging with in last 30 days of life | Yes | 109 | 64 | 45 | 0.59 |
| No | 107 | 59 | 48 | ||
| Use of radiotherapy | No radiotherapy | 174 | 99 | 75 | 0.97 |
| Radiotherapy for symptom control | 42 | 24 | 18 | ||
| Place of death | Outside hospital death | 139 | 74 | 65 | 0.14 |
| Hospital death | 76 | 49 | 27 | ||
| Alive | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Number of distant metastatic sites | One Site | 124 | 78 | 46 | 0.01 |
| Two Site | 67 | 32 | 35 | ||
| More than Two Site | 25 | 13 | 12 |
Is the comparison of symptom scores between patients in early group(<90 Days) and delayed group (>90 Days) after diagnosis_ Early group had a better pain control, nausea and wellbeing as compared to delayed group despite_ The remaining parameters were equally controlled in both the groups_ Although, the results were not statistically significant across as determined by the Mann-Whitney U test_
| Variables | <90 days (n=123) | >90 days (n=93) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain | 3.00 | 4.00 | 0.33 |
| Tiredness | 2.00 | 2.00 | 0.885 |
| Drowsiness | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0.717 |
| Nausea | 1.00 | 2.00 | 0.311 |
| Appetite | 3.00 | 3.00 | 0.579 |
| *SOB | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.574 |
| Depression | 2.00 | 2.00 | 0.584 |
| Anxiety | 2.00 | 2.00 | 0.708 |
| Wellbeing | 2.00 | 3.00 | 0.397 |
| Pain Score last 6 months | 1.00 | 2.00 | 0.383 |