Table 1. Patient characteristics.
| Variables | N (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Patients |
|
60 (100) |
| Age (years) |
Median (range) |
66 (35–85) |
| Sex |
Female |
32 (53) |
| ECOG PS |
0 |
32 (53) |
| |
1 |
26 (43) |
| |
2 or 3 |
2 (4) |
| Biliary drainage |
Present |
13 (22) |
| Opioid |
Present |
19 (32) |
| UICC-Stage |
III |
22 (37) |
| |
IV |
38 (63) |
| Liver metastasis |
Present |
29 (48) |
| Ascites |
Present |
21 (35) |
| Primary site |
Head |
19 (32) |
| Size of primary tumour (cm) |
Median (range) |
3.8 (1.8–9.7) |
| Second-line therapy |
Chemotherapy |
21 (35) |
| |
Surgery |
1 (2) |
| |
Best supportive care |
38 (63) |
| C-reactive protein (mg dl−1dl) |
Median (range) |
0.36 (0.01–25.0) |
| GM-CSF (pg ml−1) |
Median (range) |
0.00 (0.00–289) |
| IFN-γ (pg ml−1) |
Median (range) |
0.00 (0.00–16.1) |
| IL-1β (pg ml−1) |
Median (range) |
0.00 (0.00–1.65) |
| IL-2 (pg ml−1) |
Median (range) |
0.00 (0.00–26.7) |
| IL-6 (pg ml−1) |
Median (range) |
1.93 (0.00–34.3) |
| IL-8 (pg ml−1) |
Median (range) |
19.6 (2.31–206) |
| IL-10 (pg ml−1) |
Median (range) |
1.81 (0.00–383) |
| IL-12 (pg ml−1) |
Median (range) |
0.00 (0.00–1700) |
| TNF-α (pg ml−1) | Median (range) | 7.69 (0.00–23.0) |
Abbreviations: CI=confidence interval; ECOG PS=Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status; GM-CSF=granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor; HR=hazard ratio; IFN=interferon; IL=interleukin; TNF=tumour necrosis factor; UICC-Stage=stage based on the seventh criteria of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC).