Baseline characteristics of the first referrals in 2020 and 2019
| Year | 2019 n (%) | 2020 n (%) | P value | |
| Median age (IQR) | 60 (49–68) | 61 (50–69) | 0.211 | |
| Sex | Female | 636 (49.5) | 420 (45.6) | 0.070 |
| Male | 650 (50.5) | 502 (54.4) | ||
| Primary tumour | Breast | 236 (18.4) | 136 (14.8) | 0.136 |
| NSCLC | 161 (12.5) | 121 (13.1) | ||
| Colorectal | 163 (12.7) | 132 (14.3) | ||
| Other | 726 (56.4) | 533 (57.8) | ||
| Disease stage | Localised | 785 (61) | 463 (50.2) | <0.001 |
| Advanced/ metastatic | 501 (39) | 459 (49.8) | ||
| Diagnosis via screening methods | Present | 165 (27) | 70 (17.9) | 0.001 |
| Absent | 447 (73) | 322 (82.1) | ||
| Symptoms at diagnosis | Present | 520 (85.8) | 345 (89.6) | 0.080 |
| Absent | 86 (14.2) | 40 (10.4) | ||
| Palliative radiotherapy need at first referral | Present | 129 (20.6) | 75 (18.6) | 0.422 |
| Absent | 497 (79.4) | 329 (81.4) | ||
| Hospitalisation need at first referral | Present | 67 (10.6) | 43 (10.6) | 0.987 |
| Absent | 566 (89.4) | 362 (89.4) |
*bold values denote statistical significance (p<0.05)
NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer.