Date Published:

Abstract:

We investigated the temporal pattern of death in cancer patients using a large sample size and robust statistical methods to account for chronobiological periodicity.

We did not detect a circadian pattern of cancer death. The present study evaluated the temporal pattern of death among cancer patients using trigonometric functions and with time modeled in a circular scale.

To conclude, we found no evidence of a chronobiological circadian pattern in death among cancer patients by using robust statistical methods and data from a large population in a hospital setting. Increased understanding of the temporal pattern of deaths may yield important insights toward understanding external factors associated with cancer death.

Publisher's Version