Table 2:

High levels of F. nucleatum serve as an independent risk factor for predicting RFS in SESCC patients

	Training cohort (n=207)				Validation cohort (n=316)
	Univariate analysis		Multivariate analysis		Univariate analysis		Multivariate analysis
	HR (95% CI)	P	HR (95% CI)	P	HR (95% CI)	P	HR (95% CI)	P
Age (< 65)	0.71 (0.91 – 2.21)	0.12			1.00 (0.66 – 1.53)	0.99
Male	1.42 (0.85 – 2.49)	0.18			1.10 (0.60 – 2.25)	0.78
Upper tumor	2.04 (1.10 – 3.50)	0.02	3.09 (1.64 – 5.45)	0.001	0.95 (0.62 – 1.48)	0.81
Preoperative therapy	1.09 (0.71 – 1.66)	0.7			1.96 (1.29 – 3.00)	0.002	0.87 (0.49 – 1.53)	0.61
TNM stage (III–IV)	3.32 (2.05 – 5.63)	<0.0001	3.78 (2.30 – 6.46)	<0.0001	3.08 (2.03 – 4.72)	<0.0001	3.21 (1.81 – 5.70)	<0.0001
F. nucleatum High	1.61 (1.06 – 2.52)	0.03	1.72 (1.12 – 2.70)	0.01	1.96 (1.23 – 3.04)	0.004	1.70 (1.06 – 2.65)	0.03