Table 1. Baseline characteristics of patients by serum CRP level.
| Characteristics | Mean CRP (mg/L) | P | Low-CRP group, n (%) | High-CRP group, n (%) | P |
| No. of cases | 110 (59.5) | 75 (40.5) | |||
| Age (median [range], years) | 0.425 | 43 (18–70) | 43 (19–71) | 0.001 | |
| ≤60 | 14.83±24.48 | 101 (91.8) | 56 (74.7) | ||
| >60 | 18.99±18.35 | 9 (8.2) | 19 (25.3) | ||
| Gender (male) | 15.88±23.71 | 0.675 | 70 (63.6) | 55 (73.3) | 0.167 |
| ECOG PS | 0.097 | 0.737 | |||
| 0–1 | 15.00±23.31 | 109 (99.1) | 73 (97.3) | ||
| ≥2 | 37.97±44.43 | 1 (0.9) | 2 (2.7) | ||
| B symptoms (Yes) | 22.22±29.75 | <0.001 | 39 (35.5) | 53 (70.7) | <0.001 |
| LDH >245 U/l | 24.06±30.33 | 0.009 | 22 (20.0) | 31 (41.3) | 0.002 |
| Mass ≥5 cm | 18.34±21.27 | 0.494 | 13 (11.8) | 13 (17.3) | 0.289 |
| Extranodal sites ≥2 | 18.50±22.91 | 0.470 | 15 (13.6) | 11 (14.7) | 0.843 |
| Regional LN involvement | 17.22±26.54 | 0.393 | 40 (36.4) | 33 (44.0) | 0.297 |
| EBV-DNAa (median [range], copies/ml) | 0.073 | 2,505 (0–20,000,000) | 7,470 (0–50,000,000) | 0.141 | |
| <5,050 | 10.61±12.29 | 26 (56.5) | 14 (40.0) | ||
| ≥5,050 | 20.58±32.54 | 20 (43.5) | 21 (60.0) | ||
| Subtype | 0.553 | 0.965 | |||
| UNKTL | 15.06±23.58 | 101 (91.8) | 69 (92.0) | ||
| EUNKTL | 18.87±26.54 | 9 (8.2) | 6 (8.0) | ||
| Ann Arbor stage | 0.290 | 0.145 | |||
| I/II | 14.65±23.59 | 99 (90.0) | 62 (82.7) | ||
| III/IV | 20.17±24.l95 | 11 (10.0) | 13 (17.3) | ||
| Comorbidities | |||||
| Chronic hepatitis B | 17.71±23.21 | 0.670 | 10 (9.1) | 7 (9.3) | 0.955 |
| Hypertension | 10.40±19.51 | 0.522 | 7 (6.4) | 2 (2.7) | 0.424 |
| Diabetes | 9.00±6.00 | 0.506 | 4 (3.6) | 2 (2.7) | 1.000 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 3.10±0.00 | 0.606 | 1 (0.9) | 0(0) | 1.000 |
| Smoking | 20.14±28.05 | 0.180 | 20 (18.2) | 16 (21.3) | 0.595 |
| IPI score | 0.260 | 0.182 | |||
| 0–1 | 14.52±23.55 | 96 (87.3) | 60 (80.0) | ||
| 2–5 | 19.95±24.87 | 14 (12.7) | 15 (20.0) | ||
| KPI score | 0.001 | <0.001 | |||
| 0–1 | 9.71±13.46 | 77 (70.0) | 33 (44.0) | ||
| 2–4 | 23.67±31.96 | 33 (30.0) | 42 (56.0) | ||
| Albumin (<35 g/L) | 39.79±41.99 | 0.005 | 7 (6.4) | 20 (26.7) | <0.001 |
| Leukocytes (<4 × 109/L) | 11.91±13.89 | 0.460 | 13 (11.8) | 9 (12.0) | 0.970 |
| Hemoglobin (<110 g/L) | 39.41±44.42 | 0.014 | 7 (6.4) | 13 (17.3) | 0.018 |
| Platelets (<150 × 109/L) | 21.69±23.24 | 0.164 | 10 (9.1) | 14 (18.7) | 0.057 |
a
Data of EBV-DNA copy number were available for 81 patients and the median value was 5,050 copies/ml.
Abbreviations: CRP: C-reactive protein; ECOG PS: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status; LDH: lactate dehydrogenase; LN: lymph node; EBV-DNA: Epstein–Barr virus-DNA; UNKTL: upper aerodigestive tract NK/T-cell lymphoma; EUNKTL: extra-upper aerodigestive tract NK/T-cell lymphoma; IPI: International Prognostic Index; KPI: Korean Prognostic Index.