Table 3. Clinical and radiological relevant data of the patients.
| Characteristic | Total (n=175) | PNI positive (n=78) | PNI negative (n=97) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean ± SD | 63.89±10.14 | 63.87±9.59 | 63.91±10.60 | 0.864 |
| Sex, n (%) | 0.289 | |||
| Male | 116 (66.3) | 55 (70.5) | 61 (62.9) | |
| Female | 59 (33.7) | 23 (29.5) | 36 (37.1) | |
| CEA level, n (%) | 0.056 | |||
| <5 ng/mL | 127 (72.6) | 51 (65.4) | 76 (78.4) | |
| ≥5 ng/mL | 48 (27.4) | 27 (34.6) | 21 (21.6) | |
| CA199 level, n (%) | 0.647 | |||
| <37 U/mL | 159 (90.9) | 70 (89.7) | 89 (91.8) | |
| ≥37 U/mL | 16 (9.1) | 8 (10.3) | 8 (8.2) | |
| Tumor location, n (%) | 0.884 | |||
| Lower | 48 (27.4) | 20 (25.6) | 28 (28.9) | |
| Middle | 74 (42.3) | 35 (44.9) | 39 (40.2) | |
| Upper | 53 (30.3) | 23 (29.5) | 30 (30.9) | |
| MRI T stage, n (%) | 0.266 | |||
| T1–2 | 64 (36.6) | 25 (32.1) | 39 (40.2) | |
| T3–4 | 111 (63.4) | 53 (67.9) | 58 (59.8) | |
| MRI N status, n (%) | 0.813 | |||
| N0 | 87 (49.7) | 38 (48.7) | 49 (50.5) | |
| N1–2 | 88 (50.3) | 40 (51.3) | 48 (49.5) | |
| mrEMVI, n (%) | 0.274 | |||
| Negative | 124 (70.9) | 52 (66.7) | 72 (74.2) | |
| Positive | 51 (29.1) | 26 (33.3) | 25 (25.8) | |
| mrMRF, n (%) | 0.572 | |||
| Negative | 164 (93.7) | 74 (94.9) | 90 (92.8) | |
| Positive | 11 (6.3) | 4 (5.1) | 7 (7.2) | |
| PCI, n (%) | 0.0002* | |||
| <1/4 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| 1/4≤–≤1/2 | 105 (60.0) | 36 (46.2) | 69 (71.1) | |
| 1/2<–≤3/4 | 63 (36.0) | 39 (50.0) | 24 (24.8) | |
| >3/4 | 7 (4.0) | 3 (3.8) | 4 (4.1) |
*, P<0.05. PNI, perineural invasion; SD, standard deviation; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; CA199, carbohydrate antigen 199; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; mrEMVI, MRI-extramural venous invasion; mrMRF, MRI-reported mesorectal fascia; PCI, percentage of rectal wall circumference invaded.