Table 2. Comparisons of the Prevalence of Prognostic Factors between Preoperative NLR Quartile Groups.
| Variable | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. in quartile | 266 | 266 | 266 | 268 | |
| NLR, range | 0.25-1.21 | 1.21-1.57 | 1.57-2.07 | 2.08-10.20 | |
| Age, yr | 51.99±10.64 | 50.72±11.09 | 48.96±11.17a | 49.16±11.78a | 0.005 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 23.55±3.04 | 23.37±2.96 | 24.17±13.33 | 23.30±3.13 | 0.482 |
| Tumor size, cm | 0.86±0.58 | 0.92±0.61 | 0.80±0.53 | 0.88±0.61 | 0.131 |
| TSH, mIU/L | 1.45 (0.92-2.39) | 1.38 (0.84-2.26) | 1.33 (0.90-2.13) | 1.27 (0.84-2.04) | 0.245 |
| T stage 3/4, % | 31 (11.7) | 25 (9.4) | 34 (12.8) | 32 (11.9) | 0.649 |
| LNM, % | 166 (62.4) | 157 (59.0) | 153 (57.5) | 158 (59.0) | 0.700 |
| Lateral LNM, % | 11 (4.1) | 20 (7.5) | 15 (5.6) | 19 (7.1) | 0.350 |
| Multifocality, % | 90 (33.8) | 81 (30.5) | 76 (28.6) | 73 (27.2) | 0.374 |
| ETE, % | 101 (38.0) | 110 (41.4) | 98 (36.8) | 103 (38.4) | 0.743 |
| LVI, % | 57/187 (30.5) | 43/171 (25.1) | 32/179 (17.9) | 59/178 (33.1) | 0.006 |
| BRAF V600E mutation, % | 147/252 (58.3) | 163/248 (65.7) | 153/249 (61.4) | 157/254 (61.8) | 0.405 |
Values are expressed as mean±SD, median (interquartile range), or number (%). Statistical significance was tested by one-way analysis of variance, or the chi-square test.
NLR, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte count ratio; BMI, body mass index; TSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone; LNM, lymph node metastasis; ETE, extrathyroidal extension; LVI, lymphovascular invasion.
aThe differences were only between quartile group 1 and quartile group 3 and 4 in post hoc analysis.