Table 2.

Backward variable selection for recurrence-free survival and overall survival (derivation cohort, n = 1,008).

Recurrence-free survival	HR (95% CI)	p	Overall survival	HR (95% CI)	p
Preoperative NLR‡	1.267 (1.064–1.509)	0.0079	Preoperative NLR‡	1.357 (1.070–1.721)	0.0117
Age	1.012 (1.002–1.023)	0.0231	Age	1.031 (1.012–1.050)	0.0011
Diabetes	1.361 (1.040–1.783)	0.0249	ECOG grade ≥ 1	1.495 (1.011–2.211)	0.0439
Cancer stage		< .0001	Preoperative CEA level†	1.830 (1.206–2.778)	0.0045
II versus I	1.612 (1.175–2.210)	0.0031	Cancer stage		< .0001
III versus I	2.418 (1.782–3.280)	< .0001	II versus I	1.985 (1.233–3.195)	0.0048
Tumor differentiation		< .0001	III versus I	3.086 (1.979–4.812)	< .0001
Moderate versus good	5.669 (1.394–23.049)	0.0153	Lymphovascular invasion	2.006 (1.361–2.956)	0.0004
Poor versus good	9.647 (2.357–39.473)	0.0016	Microscopic necrosis	1.473 (1.032–2.103)	0.0330
Lymphovascular invasion	2.118 (1.653–2.713)	< .0001	Anesthesia time‡	1.702 (1.020–2.841)	0.0418
Postoperative chemotherapy	1.582 (1.195–2.094)	0.0014
Postoperative radiotherapy	1.437 (1.023–2.019)	0.0365

HR, hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; NLR, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio.

^‡On base-2 logarithmic scale.

^†On base-10 logarithmic scale.