Table II.
Baseline characteristics of the included population.
| First author | Location of rectal tumor | Age, years' (experimental vs. control group) | Male sex (experimental vs. control group) | (Refs.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motoki | Low | 67±14 vs. 63±12 | 167/231 vs. 112/156 | (15) |
| Zeng | Low | NR | 214/156 vs. 320/467 | (16) |
| Aisu | Low | 58±12 vs. 61±15 | 56/98 vs. 67/78 | (17) |
| Zhang | Low | 54±13 vs. 62±15 | 126/234 vs. 110/145 | (18) |
| Fujita | Low | 57±15 vs. 66±16 | 56/145 vs. 124/167 | (19) |
| Ozawa | Low | 63±12 | 145/123 vs. 112/134 | (20) |
| Ogura | Low | 58±13 vs. 61±11 | 78/99 vs. 89/102 | (21) |
| Akiyoshi | Low | 51±10 vs. 62±17 | NR | (22) |
| Lin | Low | 70±17 | 75/78 vs. 108/112 | (23) |
| Peacock | Low | 56±12 vs. 60±13 | 66/68 vs. 114/121 | (24) |
Values are expressed as the mean standard ± deviation or n/total. Location of rectal tumor is categorized as low (0–5 cm from the anal verge), middle (5.1–10 cm from the anal verge) and high (10.1–15 cm from the anal verge). NR, not reported.