Table 3. Clinical and biological characteristics of patients with metastatic (n = 23) versus non-metastatic (n = 25) sporadic colorectal carcinoma (sCRC) at diagnosis.
| Variable | Non-metastatic sCRC (n = 25) | Metastatic sCRC (n = 23) | p-value | Total (n = 48) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years)* | 70 (62–77) | 66 (61–75) | NS | 70 (61–76) |
| Gender | ||||
| Female | 7 (28%) | 7 (30%) | NS | 14 (29%) |
| Male | 18 (72%) | 16 (70%) | 34 (71%) | |
| Tumor size (cm)* | 5 (4–5) | 5 (4–7) | NS | 5 (4–6.9) |
| Site of primary tumor | ||||
| Left colon | 13 (52%) | 10 (43%) | .009 | 23 (48%) |
| Right colon | 9 (36%) | 2 (9%) | 11 (23%) | |
| Rectum | 3 (12%) | 11 (48%) | 14 (29%) | |
| CEA serum levels (ng/ml)* | 2.5 (1.3–4.9) | 45 (6.8–155) | <.001 | 5.8 (2.2–45) |
| ALP serum levels (mg/dl)* | 123 (72–213) | 82 (72–128) | NS | 93 (73–174) |
| Histopathological grade | ||||
| Well- differentiated | 18 (72%) | 11 (48%) | NS | 29 (61%) |
| Moderately- differentiated | 6 (24%) | 10 (43%) | 16 (33%) | |
| Poorly- differentiated | 1 (4%) | 2 (9%) | 3 (6%) | |
| Lymph node involvement | ||||
| N0 | 25 (100%) | 8 (35%) | <.001 | 33 (69%) |
| N1 | 0 (0%) | 10 (44%) | 10 (21%) | |
| N2 | 0 (0%) | 5 (22%) | 5 (10%) | |
| TNM stage at diagnosis | ||||
| I | 7 (28%) | 1 (4%) | <.001 | 8 (17%) |
| IIA | 11 (44%) | 3 (13%) | 14 (29%) | |
| IIB | 7 (28%) | 0 (0%) | 7 (15%) | |
| IIIB | 0 (0%) | 5 (22%) | 5 (10%) | |
| IIIC | 0 (0%) | 1 (4%) | 1 (2%) | |
| IV | 0 (0%) | 13 (57%) | 13 (27%) | |
| N. of deaths | 9 (36%) | 18 (78%) | .003 | 27 (56%) |
| Overall survival (months)* | 156 (124–155) | 41 (17–58) | <.001 | 103 (31–147) |
Results expressed as number of cases (percentage) or *as median (interquartile range, 25th–75th percentile). sCRC: sporadic colorectal cancer; CEA: carcinoembryonic antigen; ALP: alkaline phosphatase; NS: no statistically significant differences found for any group comparisons (p ≤ .05).