Table 1.
Epithelial Circulating Tumor Cell (E-CTC) distribution and baseline characteristics of patients [n (%)]
| E-CTC | P | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| ≥1 (n=30) | <1 (n=33) | ||
| Age (years) | |||
| ≥60 | 20 (66.67) | 15 (45.45) | 0.091 |
| <60 | 10 (33.33) | 18 (54.55) | |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 19 (63.33) | 22 (66.67) | 0.782 |
| Female | 11 (36.67) | 11 (33.33) | |
| Maximum diameter of the tumor | |||
| ≥5 cm | 17 (62.96) | 10 (37.04) | 0.035 |
| <5 cm | 13 (36.11) | 23 (63.89) | |
| TNM stage | |||
| I-II | 2 (6.67) | 5 (15.15) | 0.504 |
| III-IV | 28 (93.33) | 28 (84.85) | |
| Degree of differentiation | |||
| High | 3 (10.0) | 2 (6.06) | 0.763 |
| Intermediate | 23 (76.67) | 25 (75.76) | |
| Low | 4 (13.33) | 6 (18.18) | |
| Lymphatic metastasis | |||
| Yes | 26 (86.67) | 27 (81.82) | 0.599 |
| No | 4 (13.33) | 6 (18.18) | |
| Distant metastasis | |||
| Yes | 6 (20.0) | 11 (33.33) | 0.234 |
| No | 24 (80.0) | 22 (66.67) | |
| CEA | |||
| <5 ng/mL | 26 (86.67) | 26 (78.79) | 0.411 |
| ≥5 ng/mL | 4 (13.33) | 7 (21.21) | |
| CA-199 | |||
| <35 U/mL | 26 (86.67) | 26 (78.79) | 0.411 |
| ≥35 U/mL | 4 (13.33) | 7 (21.21) | |
CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen.