Table 2.

Multivariate analysis of LC3B globular structures and other clinical pathological parameters that may have a potential role in prognosis. The presence of LC3B globular structures has a strong independent prognostic value (p < 0.001)

	Group 1 patients (neoadjuvant-naïve)		Group 2 (neoadjuvant therapy)
	Hazard ratio (95 % CI)	p-value	Hazard ratio (95 % CI)	p-value
LC3B globular structures
Negative v’s Positive	6.086 (3.179–11.653)	<0.001*	9.136 (2.115–39.462)	0.003*
Differentiation
Mild*	1(−)	0	1(−)	0
Moderate	0.667 (0.213–2.086)	0.487	0.000	0.976
Poor	0.898 (0.516–1.564)	0.704	0.677 (0.318–1.441)	0.311
Tumor staging
Stage I*	1(−)	0	1(−)	0
Stage II	0.627 (0.193–2.029)	0.435	2.877 (0.323–25.59)	0.343
Stage III-IV	0.858 (0.204–3.608)	0.835	5.043 (0.457–55.67)	0.187
Lymphatic mets
Negative v’s Positive	1.632 (0.504–5.288)	0.414	0.634 (0.196–2.055)	0.448
Vascular invasion
Negative v’s Positive	2.304 (1.211–4.384)	0.011*	0.559 (0.220–1.416)	0.220
Neural invasion
Negative v’s Positive	1.050 (0.548–2.009)	0.883	2.327 (0.876–6.181)	0.090