Table 5. Associations between the CTC-WBC cluster size and the PFS of NSCLC patients.
| Variables | n (%) | Univariate analysis | Multivariate analysis | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HR (95% CI) | P | HR (95% CI)* | P* | |||
| 0 CTC-WBC cluster | 39 (69.93) | 1 | 1 | |||
| 2-cell CTC-WBC clusters | 14 (22.95) | 1.82 (0.79–4.21) | 0.163 | 1.87 (0.81–4.34) | 0.142 | |
| ≥3-cell CTC-WBC clusters | 8 (13.11) | 2.91 (1.14–7.43) | 0.026 | 2.90 (1.06–7.89) | 0.037 | |
*, adjusted for pathologic type, main therapy, and number of CTCs. CTC-WBC cluster, circulating tumor-cell-associated white blood cell cluster; PFS, progression-free survival; NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer; HR, hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval.