Table 3.
Relationship between expression of NGAL mRNA and clinicopathological characteristics in rectal cancer
| Variables/categories | NGAL expression | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ratio ≤ 1 | ratio > 1 | ||
| Age, years | 63.38 ± 11.1 | 60.78 ± 13.1 | NS |
| Gender | NS | ||
| Male | 13 | 31 | |
| Female | 18 | 38 | |
| Grade | NS | ||
| Well-differentiated | 4 | 3 | |
| Moderately differentiated | 20 | 51 | |
| Poorly differentiated | 7 | 15 | |
| Depth of invasion | 0.028 | ||
| pT1 | 5 | 2 | |
| pT2 | 13 | 23 | |
| pT3 | 12 | 33 | |
| pT4 | 1 | 11 | |
| Lymph node metastasis | 0.009 | ||
| Absent | 17 | 19 | |
| Present | 14 | 50 | |
| Venous involvement | 0.023 | ||
| Absent | 26 | 42 | |
| Present | 5 | 27 | |
| pTNM stage | 0.011 | ||
| pI | 4 | 2 | |
| pII | 13 | 14 | |
| pIII | 13 | 44 | |
| pIV | 1 | 9 | |
ratio ≤ 1: The expression of NGAL mRNA was not up-regulated; ratio > 1: The expression of NGAL mRNA was up-regulated; NS:Not significant.