Table 1.
Baseline characteristics by cohort.
| Variable | Training (n=335) | Internal (n=114) | External (n=289) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 61.0 (56.0-67.0) | 62.0 (56.2-67.0) | 62.0 (56.0-68.0) | 0.909 |
| Male sex | 219 (65.4) | 82 (71.9) | 189 (65.4) | 0.396 |
| BMI, kg/m² | 22.6 (20.6-24.6) | 22.4 (20.4-24.1) | 22.7 (21.0-24.6) | 0.506 |
| ECOG PS ≥1 | 141 (42.1) | 52 (45.6) | 122 (42.2) | 0.789 |
| EGJ/upper-third | 40 (11.9) | 11 (9.6) | 45 (15.6) | 0.207 |
| Clinical T4 | 152 (45.4) | 55 (48.2) | 145 (50.2) | 0.485 |
| Clinical N2/N3 | 173 (51.6) | 61 (53.5) | 163 (56.4) | 0.492 |
| PD-L1 CPS ≥5 | 205 (61.2) | 63 (55.3) | 174 (60.2) | 0.531 |
| dMMR/MSI-H | 16 (4.8) | 8 (7.0) | 30 (10.4) | 0.027 |
| Cortisol, µg/dL | 13.3 (11.4-15.0) | 13.5 (12.4-15.3) | 13.7 (12.1-15.4) | 0.155 |
| PNI | 48.5 (45.6-51.6) | 47.7 (45.2-50.7) | 48.0 (44.9-50.9) | 0.186 |
| Prealbumin, mg/L | 236 (208-267) | 232 (208-261) | 236 (208-260) | 0.599 |
| NLR | 2.4 (1.9-3.2) | 2.6 (2.0-3.4) | 2.6 (2.0-3.3) | 0.145 |
| CAR | 0.13 (0.07-0.21) | 0.14 (0.08-0.22) | 0.13 (0.07-0.21) | 0.338 |
| ENI-Score | 37.0 (13.1-67.3) | 26.6 (12.4-56.0) | 30.3 (10.6-59.7) | 0.196 |
| MPR | 136 (40.6) | 48 (42.1) | 118 (40.8) | 0.960 |
| pCR | 44 (13.1) | 18 (15.8) | 50 (17.3) | 0.344 |
| R0 resection | 314 (93.7) | 106 (93.0) | 264 (91.3) | 0.518 |
Continuous variables are median (IQR); categorical variables are n (%). P values are from Kruskal–Wallis or χ² tests across cohorts. ECOG PS, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status; EGJ, gastroesophageal junction; PNI, prognostic nutritional index; NLR, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; CAR, C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio; MPR, major pathological response; pCR, pathological complete response.