Table 2.
Association of lncRNA AFAP1-AS1 expression with clinicopathologic features in TSCC patients
| Parameter | Total N = 103 | LncRNA AFAP1-AS1 | χ2 | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low n = 42(%) | High n = 61(%) | ||||
| Age (years) | |||||
| < 50 | 36 | 17(47.2) | 19(52.7) | 0.952 | 0.329 |
| ≥ 50 | 67 | 25(37.3) | 42(62.7) | ||
| Gender | |||||
| Female | 31 | 13(41.9) | 18(58.1) | 0.025 | 0.875 |
| Male | 72 | 29(40.3) | 43(59.7) | ||
| Betel-quid (BQ)a chewing habit | |||||
| No | 38 | 20(52.6) | 18(47.4) | 3.504 | 0.061 |
| Yes | 65 | 22(33.8) | 43(66.2) | ||
| Tumor differentiation | |||||
| Well/moderate | 69 | 33(47.8) | 36(52.2) | 4.301 | 0.038 |
| Poor | 34 | 9(26.5) | 25(73.5) | ||
| T classifcation | |||||
| T1-T2 | 61 | 30(49.2) | 31(50.8) | 4.375 | 0.036 |
| T3-T4 Clinical stage | 42 | 12(28.6) | 30(71.4) | ||
| (TNM) | |||||
| I-II | 55 | 28(50.9) | 27(49.1) | 5.017 | 0.025 |
| III-IV | 48 | 14(29.2) | 34(70.8) | ||
| Depth of invasion | |||||
| <1 cm | 46 | 25(50.0) | 21(50.0) | 6.339 | 0.012 |
| ≥1 cm | 57 | 17(33.3) | 40(66.7) | ||
| Relapse | |||||
| No | 63 | 32(50.8) | 31(49.2) | 6.740 | 0.009 |
| Yes | 40 | 10(25.0) | 30(75.0) | ||
| Status | |||||
| Alive | 66 | 32(48.5) | 34(51.5) | 4.52 | 0.033 |
| Dead | 37 | 10(27.0) | 27(73.0) | ||
aBetel quid (BQ, also called betel nut or areca nut) is one of the most commonly consumed psychoactive substances [62]. Long-term BQ chewing is strongly associated with oral precancerous conditions, including oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), and cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, and larynx [63–65]. Consequently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer categorized BQ as a Group 1 carcinogen in 2004 [66]. It is estimated that approximately 600 million people chew various types of BQ worldwide, predominantly in the countries of South and Southeast Asia [67]. In Mainland China, BQ chewing is mainly practiced in Hunan and Hainan provinces