Table 1. Baseline characteristics of patients.
| LNM (−) (n = 327) | LNM (+) (n = 19) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean ± SD | 61.2 ± 9.3 | 58.7 ± 10.9 | 0.120 |
| Sex, n (%) | |||
| Male | 266 (81.4) | 15 (79.0) | 0.765 |
| Female | 61 (18.7) | 4 (21.1) | |
| Multiple gastric cancer, n (%) | |||
| No | 303 (92.7) | 19 (100.0) | 0.382 |
| Yes | 24 (7.4) | 0 (0) | |
| Extent of surgery, n (%) | |||
| Distal gastrectomy | 278 (85.0) | 17 (89.5) | 1.000 |
| Proximal gastrectomy | 5 (1.5) | 0 (0) | |
| Total gastrectomy | 44 (13.5) | 2 (10.5) | |
| Surgical approach | |||
| Open | 301 (92.1) | 18 (100.0) | 1.000 |
| Laparoscopic | 26 (8.0) | 0 (0) | |
| Number of dissected lymph nodes, mean ± SD | 36.3 ± 12.6 | 31.8 ± 9.9 | 0.110 |
| Tumor location | |||
| Upper third | 31 (9.5) | 3 (15.8) | 0.608 |
| Middle third | 95 (29.1) | 6 (31.9) | |
| Lower third | 201 (61.5) | 10 (52.6) | |
| Macroscopic type, n (%) | |||
| Elevated | 39 (11.9) | 5 (21.1) | |
| Flat | 22 (6.7) | 2 (10.5) | 0.457 |
| Depressed | 233 (71.2) | 15 (63.2) | |
| Mixed | 33 (10.1) | 1 (5.3) | |
| Tumor diameter (cm), mean ± SD | 2.9 ± 1.6 | 3.2 ± 1.5 | 0.327 |
| Tumor width (cm), mean ± SD | 1.9 ± 1.2 | 1.9 ± 0.9 | 0.581 |
| Depth of invasion (μm), mean ± SD | 262.4 ± 132.1 | 286.7 ± 110.1 | 0.354 |
| Tumor volume (cm3), mean ± SD | 845.2 ± 1154.1 | 974.6 ± 852.0 | 0.194 |
| Lauren’s classification, n (%) | |||
| Intestinal | 325 (99.4) | 18 (94.7) | 0.156 |
| Mixed | 38 (0.6) | 1 (5.3) | |
| Lymphovascular invasion, n (%) | |||
| Negative | 289 (88.4) | 10 (52.6) | < 0.001 |
| Positive | 42 (11.6) | 9 (47.4) |
LNM, lymph node metastasis; SD, standard deviation.