Table 4 Symptoms and symptom treatment by admission quartile among adults with active cancer presenting to the emergency department
Variable | Level | Q1 21.2–37.7% (n = 254) | Q2 47.1–55.7% (n = 158) | Q3 60.0–64.7% (n = 350) | Q4 69.0–81.7% (n = 313) | Main effects p-valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pain (any) | ||||||
| Â | No | 107 (42%) | 59 (37%) | 123 (35%) | 105 (34%) | Â |
Yes | 138 (54%) | 98 (62%) | 226 (65%) | 206 (66%) | Â | |
Missing | 9 (4%) | 1 (1%) | 1 (0%) | 2 (1%) | 0.411 | |
Chest pain | ||||||
| Â | No | 208 (82%) | 122 (77%) | 297 (85%) | 266 (85%) | Â |
Yes | 36 (14%) | 36 (23%) | 52 (15%) | 45 (14%) | Â | |
Missing | 10 (4%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (0%) | 2 (1%) | 0.698 | |
Shortness of breath | ||||||
| Â | No | 179 (70%) | 94 (59%) | 228 (65%) | 192 (61%) | Â |
Yes | 66 (26%) | 64 (41%) | 121 (35%) | 119 (38%) | Â | |
Missing | 9 (4%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (0%) | 2 (1%) | 0.054 | |
Nausea | ||||||
| Â | No | 181 (71%) | 110 (70%) | 222 (63%) | 214 (68%) | Â |
Yes | 64 (25%) | 48 (30%) | 127 (36%) | 97 (31%) | Â | |
Missing | 9 (4%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (0%) | 2 (1%) | 0.311 | |
Abdominal pain | ||||||
| Â | No | 160 (63%) | 106 (67%) | 244 (70%) | 209 (67%) | Â |
Yes | 84 (33%) | 52 (33%) | 105 (30%) | 102 (33%) | Â | |
Missing | 10 (4%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (0%) | 2 (1%) | 0.741 | |
Urinary symptoms (burning, frequency, flank pain, suprapubic pain) | ||||||
| Â | No | 208 (82%) | 139 (88%) | 294 (84%) | 261 (83%) | Â |
Yes | 35 (14%) | 18 (11%) | 55 (16%) | 50 (16%) | Â | |
Missing | 11 (4%) | 1 (1%) | 1 (0%) | 2 (1%) | 0.838 | |
Were pain medications administered in the ED? | ||||||
| Â | No | 122 (48%) | 66 (42%) | 198 (57%) | 145 (46%) | Â |
Yes | 122 (48%) | 80 (51%) | 151 (43%) | 166 (53%) | Â | |
Missing | 10 (4%) | 12 (8%) | 1 (0%) | 2 (1%) |  < 0.001 | |
Antiemetics in the ED | No | 196 (77%) | 120 (76%) | 269 (77%) | 230 (73%) | 0.873 |
Yes | 58 (23%) | 38 (24%) | 81 (23%) | 83 (27%) | Â | |
Was new systemic anticoagulation started when the patient was in the ED or inpatient setting for treatment of the thromboembolism? | ||||||
| Â | No | 16 (6%) | 3 (2%) | 8 (2%) | 9 (3%) | Â |
Yes | 13 (5%) | 4 (3%) | 10 (3%) | 10 (3%) | Â | |
Missing | 225 (89%) | 151 (96%) | 332 (95%) | 294 (94%) | Â | |
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), non-selective | Checked | 11 (4%) | 12 (8%) | 16 (5%) | 13 (4%) | 0.749 |
Unchecked | 243 (96%) | 146 (92%) | 334 (95%) | 300 (96%) | Â | |
NSAID, selective (celecoxib, etc.) | Checked | 3 (1%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (1%) | 5 (2%) | 0.320 |
Unchecked | 251 (99%) | 158 (100%) | 348 (99%) | 308 (98%) | Â | |
Acetaminophen (alone or as part of a combination product) | Checked | 48 (19%) | 20 (13%) | 40 (11%) | 56 (18%) | 0.261 |
Unchecked | 206 (81%) | 138 (87%) | 310 (89%) | 257 (82%) | Â | |
Tramadol | Checked | 4 (2%) | 7 (4%) | 1 (0%) | 1 (0%) | b |
Unchecked | 250 (98%) | 151 (96%) | 349 (100%) | 312 (100%) | Â | |
Short acting opioid/narcotic | Checked | 78 (31%) | 57 (36%) | 100 (29%) | 102 (33%) | 0.076 |
Unchecked | 176 (69%) | 101 (64%) | 250 (71%) | 211 (67%) | Â | |
Long-acting opioid | Checked | 13 (5%) | 2 (1%) | 21 (6%) | 40 (13%) |  < 0.001 |
Unchecked | 241 (95%) | 156 (99%) | 329 (94%) | 273 (87%) | Â | |
Other | Checked | 6 (2%) | 1 (1%) | 6 (2%) | 5 (2%) | 0.528 |
Unchecked | 248 (98%) | 157 (99%) | 344 (98%) | 308 (98%) | Â | |
Do not know | Checked | 0 (0%) | 1 (1%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | b |
Unchecked | 254 (100%) | 157 (99%) | 350 (100%) | 313 (100%) | Â | |
The presence of fever in ED | No | 229 (90%) | 144 (91%) | 325 (93%) | 283 (90%) | 0.773 |
Yes | 25 (10%) | 14 (9%) | 25 (7%) | 30 (10%) | Â | |
The presence of fever ≤ 24 h prior to or in ED | No | 208 (82%) | 135 (85%) | 308 (88%) | 267 (85%) |  |
Yes | 46 (18%) | 23 (15%) | 42 (12%) | 46 (15%) | 0.058 | |