Table 2.
The baseline characteristics of the participants.
| Characteristics | Treatment group | Control group | P value∗ |
| Case, N | 36 | 32 | |
| Mean age (years ± SD) | 55.64 ± 9.84 | 58.50 ± 9.41 | .226 |
| Range | 36-72 | 39-78 | |
| Sex | .737 | ||
| Male | 25 | 21 | |
| Female | 11 | 11 | |
| Metastatic sites | .979 | ||
| Pulmonary metastases | 11 | 11 | |
| Liver metastases | 6 | 4 | |
| Brain metastases | 6 | 5 | |
| Bone metastases | 8 | 6 | |
| Adrenal metastases | 2 | 1 | |
| Lymphatic metastases | 24 | 23 | |
| Others | 8 | 10 | |
| TNM Stage† | .153 | ||
| IIIA | 1 | 5 | |
| IIIB | 7 | 4 | |
| IV | 28 | 23 | |
| Histological type | .365 | ||
| Squamous cell carcinoma | 12 | 6 | |
| Adenocarcinoma | 21 | 24 | |
| adenosquamous carcinoma | 1 | 0 | |
| Large cell carcinoma | 0 | 1 | |
| Other | 2 | 1 | |
| Ongoing Chemotherapy | .672 | ||
| First-line | 23 | 22 | |
| Second-line | 13 | 10 | |
| ECOG PS | .409 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1 | 25 | 26 | |
| 2 | 10 | 6 | |
| TCM Syndromes | .136 | ||
| Disharmony of spleen and stomach | 5 | 3 | |
| Deficiency of qi and blood | 10 | 7 | |
| Yin deficiency of liver and kidney | 21 | 22 |
ECOG = Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.
∗
t test or χ2 test.
†
Based on TNM Classification, the 7th edition.