Table II.
Clinical characteristics of serum samples.
| Characteristic | Healthy | Benign | EC-UT | EC-T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of patients | 32 | 33 | 31 | 35 |
| Age, years | ||||
| Mean (range) | 53 (34–72) | 51 (27–83) | 58 (44–75) | 60 (48–76) |
| <55 | 19 | 17 | 11 | 10 |
| ≥55 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 25 |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 19 | 19 | 21 | 24 |
| Female | 13 | 14 | 10 | 11 |
| Clinical stage | ||||
| I–II | – | – | 9 | 11 |
| III–IV | 22 | 24 | ||
| Treatment | ||||
| Surgery | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Chemotherapy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Surgery and chemotherapy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Radiotherapy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
EC-UT, untreated patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; EC-T, patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma following treatment.