Table 3

Variation in prescribing activity by individual and tumour characteristics among all people who died from cancer in England during 2017 in either a care home or their own home, by subgroup of drugs prescribed in the 4-month period prior to death

Drugs for symptom controlDrugs for common symptoms*
Drugs for anxiety, delirium and agitationDrugs for nausea and vomitingDrugs for noisy respiratory secretionsDrugs for painDrugs for anxiety, delirium and agitationDrugs for nausea and vomitingDrugs for noisy respiratory secretionsDrugs for pain
N†(%)‡N†(%)‡N†(%)‡N†(%)‡N†(%)‡N†(%)‡N†(%)‡N†(%)‡
Total 16 534 28.7 27 203 47.2 15 568 27.0 52 403 90.9 32 810 56.9 12 484 21.7 14 125 24.5 34 244 59.4
Sex
Male889528.913 58744.1812826.427 75990.217 33856.3634320.6741224.117 98458.4
Female763928.513 61650.7744027.724 64491.815 47257.6614122.9671325.016 26060.6
P value* 0.26 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 0.001 <0.001 0.01 <0.001
Age at death
Less than 60195137.5279253.7148228.5475891.5297557.2124223.9130725.1319261.4
60–69314633.7482651.7262328.1859192.0538957.7208022.3232624.9567260.8
70–79542731.3859449.5480827.715 87591.510 09758.2381522.0434325.010 55360.8
80–89466924.4846744.2498826.017 29290.210 77856.2403321.0460224.011 19558.4
90 and over134120.4252438.4166725.4588789.5357154.3131420.0154723.5363255.2
P value* <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 0.03 <0.001
Ethnicity
White15 34329.025 12947.514 30027.148 22191.230 29957.311 56721.912 96324.531 65859.9
Non-white51122.696942.950022.1198087.6108147.837716.743919.4111249.2
Not stated or not known68027.0110544.076830.5220287.6143056.954021.572328.8147458.6
P value* <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001
Time elapsed between cancer diagnosis and date of death
Less than 6 months261221.9458738.5276723.210 14585.2591949.7212817.9249821.0616351.8
6 months to 1 year236231.3382450.7220629.2702793.1457660.6175323.2201626.7477863.3
1 to 2 years269231.7426950.2237327.9787592.6502259.1193822.8215625.4524361.7
2 to 5 years394131.1631349.8356628.111 70992.4744558.8288922.8320925.3778561.4
5 to 10 years239130.2400250.5222328.1733792.7467959.1181722.9201225.4485861.4
10 to 15 years102929.3165847.295927.3322991.8199556.777121.987124.8210659.9
More than 15 years150727.1255045.8147426.5508191.2317457.0118821.3136324.5331159.4
P value* <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001
Stage at cancer diagnosis
1112129.4175345.9105027.5348191.2214256.182521.696325.2224658.8
2149828.1258248.4143026.8491492.1304257.0115121.6130224.4320860.1
3264731.0437751.2237627.8787692.1493357.7198423.2211924.8516460.4
4636530.110 48449.6593928.119 47592.212 22757.9466322.1536825.412 82760.7
Unknown490326.1800742.6477325.416 65788.610 46655.6386120.5437323.210 79957.4
P value* <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001
Cancer site at diagnosis
Trachea, bronchus and lung435434.5520041.2313924.911 52691.3684354.2231918.4293723.3703755.7
Prostate111923.2208043.1121525.2444992.1271656.299820.7114723.7284758.9
Breast112228.8180746.4101326.0355891.4221356.981520.997024.9231659.5
Colorectal195726.2376850.5230730.9682291.4438658.7172923.2195226.1463062.0
Unknown primary62826.8107345.863026.9211490.2130155.550321.556724.2138058.9
Pancreas92627.6201460.0111033.1311292.8203660.787526.192827.7217364.8
Oesophagus74229.5151160.268627.3229791.4141156.261024.361224.4149159.4
Bladder42322.876141.149926.9169791.61 01254.635619.243523.5106257.3
Liver and intrahepatic bile ducts46925.397352.551727.9167090.01 09258.942022.646525.1113661.2
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma34724.754939.131722.6121686.572551.626518.930021.474953.3
Other444728.77 46748.24 13526.713 94290.09 07558.6359423.2381224.6942360.8
P value* <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001
Income domain of the IMD§
1—least deprived328630.3540449.8319629.5983890.7659260.8264324.42 95327.2681062.8
2365529.5606749.0349928.211 32891.4738559.6289523.4318325.7766761.9
3347329.1572448.0318126.710 87391.1683057.2268522.5287224.1718660.2
4308127.4511345.5287225.510 13990.1615054.7229020.4258823.0641757.1
5—most deprived303927.1489543.7282025.110 22591.2585352.2197117.6252922.6616455.0
P value* <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 0.01 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001
  • Online supplemental table A4 presents the overall groups.

  • *The p value represents the results for the likelihood ratio test for each variable by drug prescribed.

  • †Number of people who died.

  • ‡Proportion of those who died within each individual characteristic category .

  • §Index of Multiple Deprivation.