Table 2.
Associations between clinical variables and CTC count
| Variable | No. of patients | Median pre‐CTC | P | Median post‐CTC | P | Change | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 18 | 3.5 | 10.5 | 9 | |||
| Female | 15 | 2 | 11 | 7 | |||
| Age | 0.052 | 0.486 | 0.929 | ||||
| ≥ 63 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 7.5 | |||
| < 63 | 15 | 4 | 12 | 11 | |||
| Smoking history | 0.762 | 0.986 | 0.901 | ||||
| Smoker | 15 | 2 | 10 | 10 | |||
| Non‐smoker | 18 | 2 | 11.5 | 7.5 | |||
| TMs | 0.451 | 0.923 | 0.862 | ||||
| Positive | 10 | 3 | 10 | 8 | |||
| Negative | 23 | 2 | 11 | 7 | |||
| LND classification | 0.614 | 0.288 | 0.211 | ||||
| Solid nodule | 30 | 2 | 11.5 | 9 | |||
| Part solid nodule | 3 | 4 | 9 | 4 | |||
| Preoperative biopsy | 0.630 | 0.073 | 0.067 | ||||
| Yes | 18 | 2.5 | 14 | 11 | |||
| No | 15 | 2 | 10 | 6 | |||
| Sequence of vessel interruption | 0.957 | 0.016 | 0.014 | ||||
| PV‐PA | 19 | 3 | 15 | 11 | |||
| PA‐PV | 14 | 2 | 7 | 4.5 | |||
| Histology | 0.655 | 0.236 | 0.162 | ||||
| Adenocarcinoma | 25 | 2 | 10 | 7 | |||
| Sq + Others | 8 | 2 | 14 | 12.5 | |||
| pT stage | 0.427 | 0.839 | 0.985 | ||||
| T1b–1c | 21 | 3 | 12 | 8 | |||
| T2a–2b | 12 | 1.5 | 10.5 | 7.5 | |||
| pN stage | 0.475 | 0.221 | 0.207 | ||||
| N0 | 23 | 2 | 12 | 11 | |||
| N1‐2 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 7 | |||
| Vessel/lymphatic invasion | 0.550 | 0.180 | 0.253 | ||||
| Positive | 10 | 3.5 | 13.5 | 12.5 | |||
| Negative | 23 | 2 | 10 | 6 | |||
| Pleural invasion | 0.542 | 0.314 | 0.338 | ||||
| Positive | 5 | 5 | 11 | 11 | |||
| Negative | 28 | 2 | 10.5 | 7 |
CTC, circulating tumor cell; LND, lung nodule density; PA, pulmonary artery; pN stage, pathological N stage; pT stage, pathological T stage; PV, pulmonary vein; Sq, squamous cell carcinoma; TMs, tumor markers.