Table 1.
Baseline patient demographics in the mistletoe and non-mistletoe groups
| Variables | MG (n = 15) | NMG (n = 37) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 68 (38–83) | 67 (46–86) | 0.864† |
| Sex | 0.525¶ | ||
| Male | 9 (60.0) | 26 (70.3) | |
| Female | 6 (40.0) | 11 (29.7) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.4 (20.8–28.3) | 24.4 (15.1–31.5) | 0.473† |
| ASA score | 0.254¶ | ||
| 1 | 0 | 4 (10.8) | |
| 2 | 15 (100) | 30 (81.1) | |
| Unknown | 0 | 3 (8.1) | |
| Past history | |||
| Diabetes | 5 (33.3) | 8 (21.6) | 0.483¶ |
| Cardiovascular disease | 7 (46.7) | 18 (48.6) | 0.897¶ |
| Others | 5 (33.3) | 13 (35.1) | 0.902¶ |
| Baseline tumor markers | |||
| CEA (ng/mL) | 2.9 (0.5–43.7) | 2.9 (0.6–44.9) | 0.992† |
| CA 19-9 (U/mL) | 4.2 (1.2–184.7) | 12.1 (1.2–1222.8) | 0.010†,** |
| Tumor distance from the AV (cm) | 3.6 (0–10.0) | 6.0 (2.0–10.0) | 0.008†,** |
| MRF involvement | 0.314¶ | ||
| Yes | 10 (66.7) | 19 (51.4) | |
| No | 5 (33.3) | 18 (48.6) | |
| cT before NCRT | 0.412¶ | ||
| cT2 | 1 (6.7) | 0 | |
| cT3 | 12 (80.0) | 32 (86.5) | |
| cT4 | 2 (13.3) | 5 (13.5) | |
| cN before NCRT | 0.086¶ | ||
| cN0 | 0 | 3 (8.1) | |
| cN1 | 7 (46.7) | 6 (16.2) | |
| cN2 | 8 (53.3) | 28 (75.7) | |
| Baseline clinical stage (AJCC 8th edition) | 0.548¶ | ||
| Stage II | 0 | 3 (8.1) | |
| Stage III | 15 (100) | 34 (91.9) |
Data are presented as median (range) for continuous variables and n (%) for categorical variables
†Mann–Whitney test; ¶chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test; **statistical significance (P < 0.05)
MG, mistletoe group; NMG, non-mistletoe group; BMI, body mass index; ASA, American Society of Anesthesiologist; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; CA, carbohydrate antigen; AV, anal verge; MRF, mesorectal fascia; NCRT, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy; AJCC, American Joint Committee on Cancer