Table 3.

Relationships between clinicopathological criteria, cytoplasmic IGFBP-3 and patient outcome

Variable	Univariate analysis		Multivariate analysis
	95% CI	P	95% CI	P
Overall survival
Age	0.99–1.04	0.4	0.98–2.90	0.009
Lymph node status (+/-)	2.79–153.9	0.004	2.65–161	0.003
Invasive tumour grade (I, II, III)	1.27–4.93	0.002	1.14–4.62	0.002
Tumour size	1.02–1.05	<0.001	1.02–1.05	<0.001
NPI	1.48–3.36	<0.001	1.39–3.32	<0.001
ER (quick-score)	0.66–0.92	0.002	0.68–0.98	0.03
HER-2 IHC score	0.94–2.02	0.04	0.76–1.95	0.56
Ki67 proliferative index	0.99–1.00	0.4	0.99–1.00	0.65
Lymphovascular invasion (+/-)	1.46–9.38	0.006	0.89–6.69	0.08
IGFBP-3 IHC score	0.62–2.01	0.719	0.59–2.50	0.592
Disease-free survival
Age	0.97–1.02	0.9	0.99–1.06	0.06
Lymph node status (+/-)	2.29–25.3	<0.001	2.06–25.6	0.002
Invasive tumour grade (I, II, III)	1.48–5.38	0.005	1.36–5.11	0.006
Tumour size	1.02–1.04	<0.001	1.02–1.04	<0.001
NPI	1.46–3.17	<0.001	1.38–3.15	<0.001
ER (quick-score)	0.66–0.89	0.001	0.68–0.95	0.01
HER-2 IHC score	1.04–1.92	0.02	0.95–1.87	0.2
Ki67 proliferative index	0.99–1.00	0.2	0.99–1.00	0.3
Lymphovascular invasion (+/-)	1.63–6.95	0.002	1.09–6.65	0.03
IGFBP-3 IHC score	0.61–1.71	0.922	0.57–1.90	0.896

Confidence intervals (CI) and P values are given for the results of both the univariate and multivariate analyses. The multivariate analysis is adjusted for Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI) (nodes, grade and size) and treatment (tamoxifen/chemotherapy/none). Data for univariate analysis were evaluable in 95 patients (reflecting the exclusion of six local tumour recurrences as described in the Methods section) and included a multivariate analysis on 84 cases that excluded non-evaluable NPI in 11 patients. All clinicopathological variables and cytoplasmic IGFBP-3 immunohistochemistry (IHC) scores were analysed as a continuum, with lymph node status and lymphovascular invasion assessed as present or absent. Significant P values (P < 0.05) are indicated in bold.

ER, oestrogen receptor.