Table 1.
Relationship between the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and the clinical features of non-small-cell lung cancer.
| Clinical features | Number of cases | CTC-positive (%) | CTC-negative (%) | χ2 | P values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | |||||
| ≤60 years old | 23 | 15 (65.2) | 8 (34.8) | 3.186 | 0.18 |
| >60 years | 60 | 26 (43.3) | 34 (56.7) | ||
| Gender | |||||
| Male | 48 | 24 (50.0) | 24 (50.0) | 0.017 | 0.90 |
| Female | 35 | 17 (48.6) | 18 (51.4) | ||
| Smoking | |||||
| Yes | 36 | 16 (61.5) | 20 (38.5) | 0.474 | 0.49 |
| No | 47 | 25 (53.2) | 22 (46.8) | ||
| Histological features | |||||
| Adenocarcinoma | 35 | 17 (48.6) | 18 (51.4) | 0.184 | 0.91 |
| Squamous cell carcinoma | 41 | 20 (48.8) | 21 (51.2) | ||
| Others | 7 | 4 (57.1) | 3 (42.9) | ||
| Tumor grade | |||||
| High differentiation | 17 | 5 (29.4) | 12 (70.6) | 11.183 | 0.04 |
| Moderate differentiation | 36 | 14 (38.9) | 22 (61.1) | ||
| Poor differentiation | 30 | 22 (73.3) | 8 (26.7) | ||
| Pathological stage | |||||
| IIIA | 14 | 2 (14.3) | 12 (85.7) | 18.129 | 0.00 |
| IIIB | 17 | 4 (23.5) | 13 (76.5) | ||
| IV | 52 | 35 (49.4) | 17 (50.6) |