Table 3. Univariate analysis of predictors of lymph node metastases.
| Variables | Prevalence of lymph node metastases (%) | Odds ratio (95% confidence interval) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Sex | 1.046 (0.491–2.229) | 0.906 | |
| Men | 29/189 (15.3) | ||
| Women | 11/69 (15.9) | ||
| Age at operation (years) | 1.092 (0.500–2.384) | 0.826 | |
| ≤65 | 30/197 (15.2) | ||
| >65 | 10/61 (16.4) | ||
| Cancer characteristics | |||
| Cancer length (cm) | 2.467 (1.192–5.103) | 0.015 | |
| ≤1.75 | 12/123 (9.8) | ||
| >1.75 | 28/133 (21.1) | ||
| Cancer width (cm) | 2.286 (1.147–4.556) | 0.019 | |
| ≤1.45 | 16/144 (11.1) | ||
| >1.45 | 24/108 (22.2) | ||
| Tumor volume (cm3) | 2.475 (1.240–4.939) | 0.010 | |
| ≤1.856 | 16/148 (10.8) | ||
| >1.856 | 24/104 (23.1) | ||
| Synchronous esophageal cancers | 3.454 (0.792–15.072) | 0.099 | |
| Yes | 3/8 (7.5) | ||
| No | 37/250 (14.8) | ||
| Macroscopic type | 0.801 (0.538–1.194) | 0.277 | |
| I | 12/61 (19.7) | ||
| II | 5/29 (17.2) | ||
| III | 18/132 (15.8) | ||
| II/I + III | 0.883 (0.312–2.497) | 0.815 | |
| Depth of invasion | |||
| sm1 | 9/75 (12.0) | 1.463 (0.955–2.242) | 0.081 |
| sm2 | 8/73 (11.0) | ||
| sm3 | 23/110 (20.9) | ||
| sm3/sm1+sm2 | 2.037 (1.029–4.033) | 0.041 | |
| Degree of differentiation | |||
| Well | 1/5 (20.0) | 1.682 (0.877–3.229) | 0.118 |
| Moderate | 19/156 (12.2) | ||
| Poor | 20/97 (20.6) | ||
| Poor/moderate | 1.873 (0.942–3.723) | 0.073 | |
| Lymphovascular invasion | 6.742 (2.485–18.289) | <0.001 | |
| Positive | 9/18 (50.0) | ||
| Negative | 31/240 (12.9) | ||
| Surgical type | 0.769 (0.448–1.322) | 0.342 | |
| Sweet procedure | 26/157 (16.6) | ||
| Ivor-Lewis procedure | 8/38 (21.1) | ||
| McKeown procedure | 1/12 (8.3) | ||
| Left cervical and left thoracic procedure | 0/3 (0) | ||
| Transhiatal procedure | 0/4 (0) |