Table 1.
Global 5mC levels in subgroups of patients at baseline and after treatment with FP therapy.
| Variables | 5mC level (ng/ DNA) in CRC patients |
P-Value | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At baseline | After 3 months | After 6 months | ||||||
| of FP therapy | of FP therapy | |||||||
| N | Median (IQR) | N | Median (IQR) | N | Median (IQR) | |||
| Age | ≤45 | 47 | 0.59 (0.30–0.60) | 23 | 0.55 (0.14–1.26) | 15 | 0.53 (0.24–0.85) | 0.368 |
| >45 | 55 | 0.70∗ (0.68–2.09) | 25 | 0.46 (0.28–0.71) | 17 | 0.20a (0.17–0.35) | 0.011 | |
| P- value | 0.001 | 0.835 | 0.054 | |||||
| Sex | Female | 47 | 0.45 (0.38–0.70) | 20 | 0.43 (0.15–1.26) | 13 | 0.29 (0.21–0.45) | 0.692 |
| Male | 55 | 0.86∗ (0.79–1.83) | 28 | 0.55 (0.28–0.67) | 19 | 0.20a (0.17–0.45) | 0.007 | |
| P- value | 0.029 | 0.694 | 0.669 | |||||
| CEA level | Normal | 46 | 0.59 (0.44–0.74) | 5 | 0.63 (0.43–0.71) | 4 | 0.19 (0.16–0.25) | 0.438 |
| High | 33 | 0.58 (0.44–0.73) | 13 | 0.51 (0.15–1.26) | 8 | 0.25 (0.20–0.45) | 0.053 | |
| P- Value | 0.930 | 0.416 | 0.237 | |||||
| CA19.9 level | Normal | 57 | 0.59 (0.44–0.74) | 2 | 0.61 (0.58–0.63) | 1 | 0.17 (0.17–0.17) | NA |
| High | 15 | 0.52(0.39–0.65) | 17 | 0.55 (0.28–1.26) | 11 | 0.28 (0.20–0.43) | 0.368 | |
| P- Value | 0.959 | 0.449 | 0.500 | |||||
| Tumor location | Right colon | 30 | 0.73∗ (0.62–1.04) | 15 | 0.67 (0.17–3.45) | 16 | 0.26 (0.20–0.44) | 0.097 |
| Left colon | 25 | 0.47 (0.35–0.59) | 15 | 0.58 (0.14–0.69) | 6 | 0.20 (0.17–0.28) | 0.135 | |
| Rectum | 40 | 0.67 (0.5–0.84) | 18 | 0.46 (0.38–1.26) | 10 | 0.30 (0.15–1.08) | 0.189 | |
| P- value | 0.006 | 0.295 | 0.441 | |||||
| Pathology | Adenocarcinoma | 66 | 0.53 (0.43–0.71) | 32 | 0.53 (0.28–0.99) | 22 | 0.21ab (0.16–0.53) | 0.030 |
| Mucinous | 34 | 0.46 (0.50–0.84) | 16 | 0.29 (0.15–0.81) | 10 | 0.30 (0.28–0.43) | 0.368 | |
| P- value | 0.06 | 0.342 | 0.315 | |||||
| Tumor grade | II | 82 | 0.58 (0.44–0.73) | 34 | 0.46 (0.17–0.67) | 24 | 0.30 (0.20–0.60) | 0.115 |
| III | 20 | 0.72∗ (0.69–1.15) | 14 | 0.69 (0.15–1.26) | 8 | 0.21 (0.17–0.26) | 0.189 | |
| P- value | 0.006 | 0.611 | 0.281 | |||||
| Tumor size | T2 | 15 | 1.08∗ (0.81–1.35) | 12 | 0.43a (0.11–0.63) | 9 | 0.22a (0.17–0.45) | 0.020 |
| T3 | 65 | 0.58 (0.44–0.73) | 30 | 0.53 (0.30–1.26) | 18 | 0.21ab (0.20–0.30) | 0.011 | |
| T4 | 19 | 0.63 (0.47–0.79) | 6 | 0.55 (0.14–1.26) | 5 | 0.68 (0.28–1.08) | 0.368 | |
| P- value | 0.008 | 0.291 | 0.560 | |||||
| Lymph node | Negative | 41 | 0.71∗ (0.53–0.89) | 26 | 0.55 (0.16–0.92) | 22 | 0.30 (0.17–0.60) | 0.236 |
| Positive | 39 | 0.54 (0.41–0.68) | 22 | 0.43 (0.17–0.69) | 10 | 0.25 (0.20–0.43) | 0.050 | |
| P- value | 0.006 | 0.885 | 0.920 | |||||
| Metastasis | Negative | 71 | 0.67∗ (0.50–0.84) | 38 | 0.55 (0.15–1.26) | 24 | 0.28 (0.20–0.60) | 0.050 |
| Positive | 31 | 0.51 (0.38–0.64) | 10 | 0.38 (0.30–0.63) | 8 | 0.24 (0.16–0.30) | 0.178 | |
| P- value | 0.005 | 0.696 | 0.364 | |||||
| II | 32 | 0.71∗ (0.53–0.89) | 20 | 0.51 (0.15–0.92) | 13 | 0.20 (0.14–0.60) | 0.472 | |
| Stage | III | 39 | 0.59 (0.44–0.74) | 18 | 0.58 (0.28–1.26) | 11 | 0.36 (0.21–1.08) | 0.097 |
| IV | 31 | 0.54 (0.41–0.68) | 10 | 0.38 (0.30–0.63) | 8 | 0.24 (0.16–0.30) | 0.178 | |
| P- value | 0.019 | 0.825 | 0.346 | |||||
Data presented as medians and interquartile range (IQR) of 5mC level (ng/DNA) of CRC patients at baseline and after treatment with FP therapy for 3 and 6 months. Significant P- values were with bold italic font. ∗superscript is a significant difference (P-value < 0.05) when the two CRC subgroups were compared by Mann–Whitney. aIs a significant difference (P-value < 0.05) when the 3 and 6 months treated CRC patients were compared with their baseline by Wilcoxon Matched. bIs a significant difference (P-value < 0.05) when the 6 months treated CRC patients were compared with their 3 months level by Wilcoxon Matched. 5mC, 5 methoxy 2 deoxy cytosine; CEA, carcinoembyonic antigen; CA19.9, carbohydrate antigen 19.9; NA, not applicable.