Table 1. Patient characteristics and Univariate analysis (n = 446).
| Characteristics | N (%) | DFS | OS | ||||
| months | P* | χ2 | months | P* | χ2 | ||
| Age(median,years) | 59.9 | ||||||
| <60 | 224 (50.2) | 37.9 | 0.044 | 4.042 | 51.0 | 0.015 | 5.860 |
| ≥60 | 222 (49.8) | 23.5 | 30.9 | ||||
| Gender | |||||||
| Male | 348 (78.0) | 28.4 | 0.656 | 0.198 | 42.5 | 0.808 | 0.059 |
| Female | 98 (22.0) | 25.3 | 38.9 | ||||
| Borrmann type | |||||||
| I | 63 (14.1) | 42.6 | 0.000 | 38.858 | 60.7 | 0.000 | 49.961 |
| II+III | 354 (79.4) | 30.9 | 44.8 | ||||
| IV | 25 (5.6) | 6.0 | 9.8 | ||||
| V | 4 (0.9) | 5.8 | 4.0 | ||||
| Tumor Size | |||||||
| <5 cm | 193 (44.3) | 45.6 | 0.000 | 17.518 | 60.7 | 0.000 | 13.375 |
| ≥5 cm | 253 (56.7) | 19.6 | 30.6 | ||||
| Tumor Histological Morphology | |||||||
| Adenocarcinoma | 287 (64.3) | 45.7 | 0.000 | 28.041 | 60.7 | 0.000 | 31.692 |
| Absolute signet ring cell carcinoma | 71 (15.9) | 15.1 | 21.3 | ||||
| Mixed carcinoma | 88 (19.8) | 19.5 | 28.7 | ||||
| Lauren type | |||||||
| Intestinal | 205 (46.0) | 47.0 | 0.000 | 24.151 | 69.6 | 0.000 | 26.506 |
| Diffuse | 204 (45.7) | 17.5 | 26.7 | ||||
| Mixed type | 37 (8.3) | 47.7 | 63.9 | ||||
| Tumor differentiation a | |||||||
| Poor | 354 (79.4) | 24.7 | 0.033 | 4.569 | 33.0 | 0.006 | 7.702 |
| Moderate and High | 92 (20.6) | 44.2 | NA | ||||
| Vessel invasion | |||||||
| No | 279 (62.6) | 33.9 | 0.021 | 5.289 | 48.5 | 0.013 | 6.223 |
| Yes | 167 (37.4) | 18.4 | 29.5 | ||||
| Perineural invasion | |||||||
| No | 313 (70.2) | 37.9 | 0.004 | 8.196 | 51.0 | 0.005 | 7.967 |
| Yes | 133 (29.8) | 18.9 | 27.6 | ||||
| T category | |||||||
| T1 | 17 (3.8) | NA | 0.000 | 60.358 | NA | 0.000 | 57.479 |
| T2 | 32 (7.2) | NA | NA | ||||
| T3 | 66 (14.8) | NA | NA | ||||
| T4 | 331 (74.2) | 18.9 | 29.2 | ||||
| N category | |||||||
| N0 | 97 (21.7) | NA | 0.000 | 116.151 | NA | 0.000 | 104.945 |
| N1 | 94 (21.1) | 47.2 | 69.6 | ||||
| N2 | 109 (24.5) | 22.6 | 29.5 | ||||
| N3 | 146 (32.7) | 11.5 | 20.5 | ||||
| TNM stageb | |||||||
| IA+IB | 27 (6.1) | NA | 0.000 | 163.206 | NA | 0.000 | 148.082 |
| IIA | 22 (4.9) | NA | NA | ||||
| IIB | 83 (18.6) | NA | NA | ||||
| IIIA | 83 (18.6) | 32.1 | 46.7 | ||||
| IIIB | 106(23.8) | 17.5 | 27.1 | ||||
| IIIC | 125(28.0) | 10.2 | 17.8 | ||||
| Operation | |||||||
| D1 | 270(60.5) | 24.0 | 0.435 | 0.610 | 32.8 | 0.170 | 1.883 |
| D2 | 176(39.5) | 33.9 | 50.4 | ||||
| Adjuvant chemotherapy | |||||||
| Yes | 282(63.2) | 45.7 | 0.000 | 65.261 | 63.9 | 0.000 | 41.181 |
| No | 164(36.8) | 14.6 | 23.9 | ||||
| Hepatic metastases | |||||||
| Yes | 88(19.7) | 12.0 | 0.000 | 83.481 | 24.6 | 0.000 | 60.630 |
| No | 358(80.3) | 46.2 | 60.7 | ||||
| Peritoneum cavity metastasis | |||||||
| Yes | 130(29.1) | 9.7 | 0.000 | 220.748 | 15.7 | 0.000 | 227.078 |
| No | 316(70.9) | 55.4 | NA | ||||
| TGF-β | |||||||
| Weak-expression | 265(59.4) | 36.4 | 0.053 | 3.759 | 45.3 | 0.139 | 2.187 |
| Over-expression | 181(40.6) | 26.1 | 36.6 | ||||
| HIF-1α | |||||||
| Weak-expression | 229(51.3) | NA | 0.000 | 74.937 | NA | 0.000 | 90.594 |
| Over-expression | 217(48.7) | 16.8 | 25.5 | ||||
| VEGF | |||||||
| Weak-expression | 252(56.5) | 33.9 | 0.161 | 1.968 | 46.7 | 0.217 | 1.526 |
| Over-expression | 194(43.5) | 24.0 | 34.8 | ||||
| pERK1/2 | |||||||
| Weak-expression | 297(66.6) | 37.7 | 0.107 | 2.595 | 49.1 | 0.018 | 5.594 |
| Over-expression | 149(33.4) | 19.8 | 27.8 | ||||
a
Tumor differentiation according to the WHO classification for gastric cancer in 2000; bTNM stage according to TNM 7th edition by AJCC(American Joint Committee on Cancer); NA Not arrival; *P<0.05.