Table 1.
Patient characteristics and response to nCRT.
| Variables | Number (%) (n = 273) | Good response (n = 177) | Poor response (n = 96) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 177 (64.8%) | 116 | 61 | 0.742 |
| Female | 96 (35.2%) | 61 | 35 | |
| Age (years) | ||||
| ≥60 | 154 (56.4%) | 89 | 65 | 0.006 |
| <60 | 119 (43.6%) | 88 | 31 | |
| ECOG performance status | ||||
| 0 | 131 (48.0%) | 91 | 40 | 0.124 |
| 1 | 142 (52.0%) | 86 | 56 | |
| Distance from the anal verge (cm) | ||||
| ≥5 | 153 (56.0%) | 104 | 49 | 0.220 |
| <5 | 120 (44.0%) | 73 | 47 | |
| Pretreatment CEA (µg/L) | ||||
| ≥5 | 139 (50.9%) | 70 | 69 | 0.000 |
| <5 | 134 (49.1%) | 107 | 27 | |
| Clinical T stage | ||||
| T1-2 | 19 (7.0%) | 16 | 3 | 0.067 |
| T3-4 | 254 (93.0%) | 161 | 93 | |
| Clinical N stage | ||||
| N (−) | 119 (43.6%) | 90 | 29 | 0.001 |
| N (+) | 154 (56.4%) | 87 | 67 | |
| Chemotherapy during the interval between nCRT and surgery | ||||
| Yes | 139 (50.9%) | 104 | 35 | 0.000 |
| No | 134 (49.1%) | 73 | 61 | |
| Pretreatment biomarker levels [median (range)] | ||||
| Neutrophil count | 4.39 (1.72–12.88) | 4.45 (2.13–12.88) | 4.34 (1.72–8.11) | 0.032 |
| Platelet count | 310.15 (130.61–478.58) |
310.70 (132.88–478.58) | 308.19 (130.61–452.82) | 0.815 |
| Lymphocyte count | 1.40 (0.60–3.20) | 1.50 (0.80–3.20) | 1.30 (0.60–2.10) | 0.000 |
| Monocyte count | 0.33 (0.18–0.89) | 0.33 (0.19–0.89) | 0.33 (0.18–0.58) | 0.851 |
| Serum albumin | 39.10 (31.20–50.55) | 39.40 (31.46–50.55) | 38.53 (31.20–49.45) | 0.004 |
| NLR | 3.08 (2.02–6.60) | 2.97 (2.02–4.89) | 3.20 (2.04–6.60) | 0.025 |
| PLR | 207.69 (102.31–310.00) | 197.54 (102.31–304.29) | 220.34 (114.55–310.00) | 0.000 |
| LMR | 4.33 (2.13–7.00) | 4.58 (2.13–7.00) | 3.85 (2.20–6.39) | 0.000 |
| PNI | 46.00 (36.70–58.55) | 48.00 (42.12–58.55) | 45.25 (36.70–57.60) | 0.000 |
nCRT, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; NLR, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio; PLR, platelet to lymphocyte ratio; LMR, lymphocyte to monocyte ratio; PNI, prognostic nutritional index. Bold values mean that P-value is significant.