Table 1. Characteristics of patients whose samples were selected for LC-MS/MS analysis.
| Characteristic | LN- group (n = 5) | LN+ group (n = 5) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Median | 61 (51–74) | 60 (54–74) | 0.7975 |
| Sex | M: F | 3:2 | 4:1 | 1.0000 |
| Location | Head | 3 | 2 | |
| Body | 2 | 1 | 0.4603 | |
| Whole | 0 | 2 | ||
| Size (mm) | Mean±SD | 28±4.5 | 37±9.4 | 0.0894 |
| Number of LN metastases | Mean±SD | 0 | 9.2±1.2 | 0.0001 |
| UICC Stage | IIA | 5 | 0 | |
| III | 0 | 2 | 0.0079 | |
| IV | 0 | 3 | ||
| Histological grade | G1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0000 |
| G2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| OS (months) | Median | 66 (44.4–146) | 13 (6.5–13.5) | 0.0089 |
| R status | R0 | 5 | 5 | |
| Adjuvant chemotherapy | GEM | 4 | 4 | 1.0000 |
| S1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| None | 0 | 1 |
Staging was based on UICC 8th edition.
GEM, gemcitabine; LC-MS/MS, liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry; LN, lymph node; OS, overall survival.