Changes in Patient-Reported Health Status in Advanced Cancer Patients from a Symptom Management Clinic: A Longitudinal Study Conducted in China
Table 1
Demographic information, medical data, and distribution of EQ-5D-5L dimension responses (% of responses with moderate problems—i.e., Level 3—and above) as a function of various demographic characteristics.
Demographic characteristics
N (%)/M ± SD (N = 156)
Mobility N (%)
Self-careN (%)
Usual activities N (%)
Pain/discomfort N (%)
Anxiety/Depression N (%)
EQ-5D-5L index M (SD)
VAS M (SD)
Age (years)
56.22 ± 10.898
≤44
23 (14.7)
6 (26.1)
3 (13.0)
6 (26.1)
9 (39.1)
10 (43.5)
0.67 (0.33)
61.78 (24.34)
45–59
64 (41.0)
20 (31.3)
6 (9.4)
17 (26.6)
43 (67.2)
26 (40.6)
0.59 (0.31)
56.58 (23.36)
≥60
61 (39.1)
20 (32.8)
9 (14.8)
20 (32.8)
35 (57.4)
17 (27.9)
0.63 (0.31)
59.10 (21.00)
Missing
8 (5.1)
P value
0.355
0.616
0.818
0.060
0.072
0.606
0.610
Sex
Male
86 (55.1)
23 (26.7)
8 (9.3)
21 (24.4)
51 (59.3)
28 (32.6)
0.65 (0.29)
60.26 (20.45)
Female
69 (44.2)
26 (36.2)
12 (17.4)
24 (34.8)
41 (59.4)
29 (42.0)
0.58 (0.35)
55.48 (23.91)
Missing
1 (0.6)
P value
0.529
0.815
0.193
0.527
0.148
0.378
0.263
Marital status
Without partner (single, separated, divorced, or widowed)
8 (5.1)
44 (29.9)
19 (12.9)
42 (28.6)
88 (59.9)
55 (37.4)
0.61 (0.32)
57.98 (22.41)
With spouse
147 (94.2)
4 (50.0)
1 (12.5)
3 (37.5)
4 (50.0)
2 (25.0)
0.61 (0.37)
60.88 (16.39)
Missing
1 (0.6)
P value
0.233
0.972
0.589
0.581
0.480
0.737
0.742
Education level
Junior, middle school, and lower
49 (31.4)
12 (24.5)
6 (12.2)
11 (22.4)
31 (63.3)
17 (34.7)
0.63 (0.30)
57.57 (23.08)
High middle school and special secondary school
45 (28.8)
15 (33.3)
7 (15.6)
17 (37.8)
26 (57.8)
18 (40.0)
0.59 (0.35)
56.16 (23.91)
Junior college and above
61 (39.1)
21 (34.4)
7 (11.5)
17 (27.9)
35 (57.4)
22 (36.1)
0.63 (0.31)
60.03 (20.01)
Missing
1 (0.6)
P value
0.494
0.815
0.256
0.797
0.859
0.794
0.659
Average family income
<5,000 Yuan/month
42 (26.9)
13 (31.0)
5 (11.9)
14 (33.3)
26 (61.9)
19 (45.2)
0.60 (0.30)
58.67 (20.31)
5,000–10,000 Yuan/month
50 (32.1)
13 (26.0)
7 (14.0)
12 (24.0)
29 (58.0)
15 (30.0)
0.65 (0.33)
60.36 (22.10)
10,000–15,000 Yuan/month
40 (25.6)
14 (35.0)
4 (10.0)
11 (27.5)
22 (55.0)
11 (27.5)
0.63 (0.30)
61.55 (21.66)
15000 Yuan/month and above
23 (14.7)
8 (34.8)
4 (17.4)
8 (34.8)
15 (65.2)
12 (52.2)
0.53 (0.37)
46.35 (23.56)
Missing
1 (0.6)
P value
0.794
0.850
0.706
0.852
0.108
0.516
Medical cost coverage
Government-pay/Medical insurance
129 (82.7)
40 (31.0)
15 (11.6)
38 (29.5)
74 (57.4)
45 (34.9)
0.63 (0.31)
59.17 (22.74)
Self-pay
26 (16.7)
8 (30.8)
5 (19.2)
7 (26.9)
18 (69.2)
12 (46.2)
0.55 (0.34)
52.96 (18.17)
Missing
1 (0.6)
P value
0.981
0.293
0.796
0.263
0.278
0.161
0.159
Employment status
Retired
54 (34.6)
17 (34.5)
9 (16.7)
19 (35.2)
33 (61.1)
19 (35.2)
0.60 (0.34)
59.46 (22.39)
Employed
71 (45.5)
22 (31.0)
5 (7.0)
16 (22.5)
38 (53.5)
20 (28.2)
0.66 (0.28)
60.20 (22.49)
Without work
28 (17.9)
9 (32.1)
5 (17.9)
8 (28.6)
20 (71.4)
17 (60.7)
0.52 (0.36)
50.11 (20.03)
Missing
3 (91.9)
P value
0.994
0.172
0.299
0.253
0.138
0.107
Cancer site
Breast
18 (11.5)
7 (38.9)
5 (27.8)
8 (44.4)
9 (50.0)
9 (50.0)
0.51 (0.44)
55.28 (28.44)
Gastric
21 (13.5)
2 (10.0)
1 (5.0)
1 (5.0)
7 (35.0)
5 (25.0)
0.78 (0.19)
59.05 (19.15)
Oesophageal
10 (6.4)
4 (36.4)
1 (9.1)
4 (36.4)
8 (72.7)
5 (45.5)
0.58 (0.31)
62.45 (19.86)
Liver
12 (7.7)
4 (33.3)
0 (0)
2 (16.7)
9 (75.0)
3 (33.3)
0.67 (0.23)
64.75 (19.86)
Lung
49 (31.4)
17 (34.7)
8 (16.3)
17 (34.7)
34 (69.4)
18 (36.7)
0.58 (0.30)
56.37 (23.14)
Colorectal
47 (30.1)
15 (32.6)
5 (10.9)
13 (28.3)
26 (56.5)
16 (34.8)
0.62 (0.33)
58.70 (20.55)
P value
0.114
0.214
0.305
0.491
0.155
0.127
0.834
Duration of cancer progression (days)
<Half years
66 (42.3)
20 (30.3)
11 (16.7)
20 (30.3)
39 (59.1)
27 (40.9)
0.59 (0.35)
56.23 (21.86)
Half to less than one year
35 (22.4)
14 (40.0)
3 (8.6)
11 (31.4)
23 (65.7)
14 (40.0)
0.59 (0.31)
60.97 (18.80)
Longer than one year
40 (25.6)
12 (30.0)
6 (15.0)
12 (30.0)
24 (60.0)
12 (30.0)
0.62 (0.29)
55.15 (25.27)
Missing
15 (9.6)
P value
0.384
0.335
0.781
0.807
0.353
0.840
0.404
Oncology therapies
No
63 (40.4)
21 (33.3)
9 (14.3)
17 (27.0)
44 (69.8)
22 (34.9)
0.60 (0.32)
58.83 (20.86)
Yes
91 (58.3)
27 (29.7)
11 (12.1)
28 (30.8)
48 (52.7)
34 (37.4)
0.62 (0.32)
57.74 (23.14)
Missing
2 (1.3)
P value
0.394
0.303
0.893
0.106
0.839
0.566
0.981
NS: Not significant. duration of cancer progression (days): it is the duration between the time when filling out the questionnaires and the time of diagnosis of cancer progression. One-way ANOVA was applied if the homogeneity of variance assumption was satisfied, and the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis H test was utilised if the homogeneity of variance assumption was not satisfied.