Table 1.
Clinicopathologic characteristics of colorectal cancers according to the stromal POSTN expression
| Variable | POSTN-low (n = 821, 73.0%) | POSTN-high (n = 304, 27.0%) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (yr) | 62 (20–87) | 62 (29–90) | .932 | |
| Sex | Male | 500 (60.9) | 173 (56.9) | .225 |
| Female | 321 (39.1) | 131 (43.1) | ||
| Location | Proximal | 170 (20.7) | 107 (35.2) | < .001 |
| Distal | 336 (40.9) | 102 (33.5) | ||
| Rectum | 315 (38.4) | 95 (31.3) | ||
| Growth pattern | Fungating | 569 (69.3) | 168 (55.3) | < .001 |
| Fungating | 252 (30.7) | 136 (44.7) | ||
| T category | T1,2 | 192 (23.4) | 18 (5.9) | < .001 |
| T3,4 | 629 (76.6) | 286 (94.1) | ||
| N category | N0 | 454 (55.3) | 117 (38.5) | < .001 |
| N1,2 | 367 (44.7) | 187 (61.5) | ||
| M category | 0 | 712 (86.7) | 222 (73.0) | < .001 |
| 1 | 109 (13.3) | 82 (27.0) | ||
| Stage | I, II | 432 (52.6) | 104 (34.2) | < .001 |
| III, IV | 109 (13.3) | 200 (65.8) | ||
| Differentiation | Differentiated | 802 (97.7) | 284 (93.4) | .001 |
| Undifferentiated | 19 (2.3) | 20 (6.6) | ||
| Tumor budding | Absent | 261 (31.8) | 58 (19.1) | < .001 |
| Present | 560 (68.2) | 246 (80.9) | ||
| Dirty necrosis | Absent | 85 (10.4) | 17 (5.6) | .014 |
| Present | 736 (89.6) | 287 (94.4) | ||
| Crohn-like reaction | Absent | 703 (85.6) | 251 (82.6) | .204 |
| Present | 118 (14.4) | 53 (17.4) | ||
| Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes | High (≥ 8/HPF) | 599 (73.0) | 233 (76.6) | .211 |
| Low (< 8/HPF) | 222 (27.0) | 71 (23.4) | ||
| Serration | Absent | 793 (96.6) | 288 (94.7) | .155 |
| Present | 28 (3.4) | 16 (5.3) | ||
| Mucin production | Absent | 727 (88.5) | 265 (87.2) | .525 |
| Present | 94 (11.5) | 39 (12.8) | ||
| CIMP | CIMP-0 | 387 (47.1) | 123 (40.5) | .030 |
| CIMP-low | 396 (48.2) | 157 (51.6) | ||
| CIMP-high | 38 (4.6) | 24 (7.9) | ||
| MSI | MSS | 702 (85.5) | 262 (86.2) | .959 |
| MSI-low | 54 (6.6) | 19 (6.2) | ||
| MSI-high | 65 (7.9) | 23 (7.6) | ||
| KRAS mutation | Wild type | 602 (73.3) | 210 (69.1) | .158 |
| Mutant | 219 (26.7) | 94 (30.9) | ||
| BRAF mutation (n = 1,124) | Wild type | 791 (96.5) | 285 (93.7) | .046 |
| Mutant | 29 (3.5) | 19 (6.3) |
Values are presented as median (range) or number (%).
POSTN, periostin; HPF, high-power field; CIMP, CpG island methylator phenotype; MSI, microsatellite instability.