Table 2.
Correlation of CTCs with LC patients’ demographics and clinical characteristics.
| Characteristics | n | Average (Median) Age (years) | CTCs ≥ 1 (per 7.5 mL) | CTC Detection Rate (%) | Average CTC Count (Range) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||||||
| Male | 43 | 59.4 (60) | 35 | 81.4 | 2.56 (0-8) | 0.7398 |
| Female | 35 | 57.51 (59) | 30 | 85.71 | 2.37 (0-7) | |
| Age | ||||||
| ≥ 60 | 40 | 65.15 (65) | 36 | 90 | 2.88 (0-8) | 0.0274 |
| < 60 | 38 | 51.61 (52) | 29 | 76.32 | 2.05 (0-8) | |
| Smoking History | ||||||
| Yes | 35 | 60.4 (60) | 29 | 82.86 | 2.63 (0-8) | 0.3498 |
| No | 43 | 57.05 (58) | 36 | 83.72 | 2.35 (0-8) | |
| Histology | ||||||
| Adenocarcinoma | 65 | 58.63 (60) | 55 | 84.62 | 2.42 (0-8) | 0.5576 |
| Squamous | 13 | 58.15 (58) | 10 | 76.92 | 2.77 (0-8) | |
| TNM Stage | ||||||
| I | 30 | 55.17 (55.5) | 22 | 73.33 | 1.6 (0-4) | 0.0062 |
| II | 7 | 60.29 (60) | 6 | 85.71 | 2 (0-4) | |
| III | 13 | 61.38 (63) | 11 | 84.62 | 2.54 (0-5) | |
| IV | 28 | 60.43 (61.5) | 26 | 92.86 | 3.5 (0-8) | |
| Tumor Depth | ||||||
| T1 | 36 | 55.83 (56) | 28 | 77.78 | 1.37 (0-8) | 0.0646 |
| T2 | 13 | 59.92 (61) | 10 | 76.92 | 2.54 (0-4) | |
| T3 | 16 | 59.81 (60) | 14 | 87.5 | 2.5 (0-7) | |
| T4 | 13 | 63.15 (64) | 13 | 100 | 3.62 (2-8) | |
| Lymph Node Involvement | ||||||
| N0 | 40 | 56.88 (56.5) | 31 | 77.5 | 1.65 (0-4) | 0.0014 |
| N1 | 4 | 61.5 (62.5) | 4 | 100 | 4.5 (3-6) | |
| N2 | 19 | 61.89 (63) | 17 | 89.47 | 3.26 (0-8) | |
| N3 | 15 | 58 (60) | 13 | 86.67 | 3.13 (0-8) | |
| Lymph Node Metastasis | ||||||
| Yes | 38 | 60.32 (61) | 34 | 89.5 | 3.34 (0-8) | 0.0002 |
| No | 40 | 56.88 (56.5) | 31 | 77.5 | 1.65 (0-4) | |
| Distant Metastasis | ||||||
| M0 | 50 | 57.5 (57.5) | 39 | 78 | 1.9 (0-5) | 0.0021 |
| M1 | 28 | 60.43 (61.5) | 26 | 92.86 | 3.5 (0-8) | |
CTCs, circulating tumor cells; n, number; LC, lung cancer; TNM, tumor-node-metastasis. Bold values mean statistically significant. Bold values are all less than 0.05.