Table 1.

Patient and Lesion Characteristics According to the Level of N-BLR Expression

Variable	N-BLR expression*		p-value
	Low	High
Age, yr			0.746
<65	10 (52.6)	9 (47.4)
≥65	9 (47.4)	10 (52.6)
Sex			>0.999
Male	12 (63.2)	12 (63.2)
Female	7 (36.8)	7 (36.8)
Helicobacter pylori infection†			0.637
Absent	5 (55.6)	3 (37.5)
Present	4 (44.4)	5 (62.5)
Location			0.798
Upper third	2 (10.5)	1 (5.3)
Middle third	8 (42.1)	7 (36.8)
Lower third	9 (47.4)	11 (57.9)
Depth of tumor invasion			0.461
T1&T2	4 (21.1)	6 (37.6)
T3&T4	15 (78.9)	13 (68.4)
Lymph node metastasis			0.097
Absent	5 (26.3)	10 (52.6)
Present	14 (73.7)	9 (47.4)
Lymphovascular invasion			0.746
Absent	9 (47.4)	10 (52.6)
Present	10 (52.6)	9 (47.4)
Stage‡			0.105
I, II	7 (36.8)	12 (63.2)
III	12 (63.2)	7 (36.8)
Lauren's classification			0.127
Intestinal	8 (42.1)	14 (7.37)
Diffuse	10 (52.6)	4 (21.1)
Mixed	1 (5.3)	1 (5.3)
Differentiation			0.051
AWD or AMD	9 (47.4)	11 (57.9)
APD	3 (15.8)	7 (36.8)
SRC	7 (36.8)	1 (5.3)
Serum CEA value, ng/mL			0.693
≤5	14 (73.7)	16 (84.2)
>5	5 (26.3)	3 (15.8)
Serum CA19-9 value, U/mL			>0.999
≤37	18 (94.7)	17 (89.5)
>37	1 (5.3)	2 (10.5)

Data are presented as number (%).

AWD, well-differentiated adenocarcinoma; AMD, moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma; APD, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma; SRC, signet ring cell carcinoma; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; CA19-9, carbohydrate antigen 19-9.

^*Patients were classified into two groups according to the median N-BLR expression;

^†Status of H. pylori infection was missing in 21 patients;

^‡Stage was classified according to the 7th edition of the American Joint Cancer Committee/Union Internationale Contre le Cancer.