Table 2.
Baseline Characteristics of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients with Low or High Serum Calcium Levels
| Characteristic | Serum Calcium Levels | P value† | |
|---|---|---|---|
| <2.23 mmol/L, n (%) | ≥2.23 mmol/L, n (%) | ||
| Age | |||
| ≤ 45 years | 531 (47.9) | 587 (59.6) | <0.001 |
| > 45 years | 578 (52.1) | 398 (40.4) | |
| Sex | |||
| Female | 314 (28.3) | 214 (21.7) | 0.001 |
| Male | 795 (71.7) | 771 (78.3) | |
| Smoking | |||
| No | 703 (63.4) | 633 (64.3) | 0.678 |
| Yes | 406 (36.6) | 352 (35.7) | |
| Drinking | |||
| No | 968 (87.3) | 875 (88.8) | 0.277 |
| Yes | 141 (12.7) | 110 (11.2) | |
| Family of history cancer | |||
| No | 795 (71.7) | 707 (71.8) | 0.963 |
| Yes | 314 (28.3) | 278 (28.2) | |
| WHO type | |||
| I | 5 (0.5) | 6 (0.6) | 0.617 |
| II+III | 1104 (99.5) | 979 (99.4) | |
| T category* | |||
| T1 | 177 (16.0) | 173 (17.6) | 0.337 |
| T2 | 188 (17.0) | 162 (16.4) | |
| T3 | 542 (48.9) | 449 (45.6) | |
| T4 | 202 (18.2) | 201 (20.4) | |
| N category* | |||
| N0 | 180 (16.2) | 175 (17.8) | 0.186 |
| N1 | 616 (55.5) | 573 (58.2) | |
| N2 | 190 (17.1) | 145 (14.7) | |
| N3 | 123 (11.1) | 92 (9.3) | |
| TNM stage* | |||
| I | 64 (5.8) | 57 (5.8) | 0.741 |
| II | 215 (19.4) | 204 (20.7) | |
| III | 528 (47.6) | 446 (45.3) | |
| IV | 302 (27.2) | 278 (28.2) | |
| Chemotherapy | |||
| No | 174 (15.7) | 145 (14.7) | 0.538 |
| Yes | 935 (84.3) | 840 (85.3) | |
Notes: †P value was calculated using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test.* According to the 8th AJCC/UICC staging system.
Abbreviation: WHO, World Health Organization.