Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, CEA ratio, and treatment outcome of rectal cancer patients receiving pre-operative chemoradiation and surgery

Table 1 Clinicopathologic features between group L, group H-L and group H-H

	Group L (n = 87)	Group H-L (n = 32)	Group H-H (n = 19)	p-value
Gender
Male	59 (67.8%)	22 (68.8%)	17 (89.5%)	0.161
Female	28 (32.2%)	10 (31.2%)	2 (10.5%)	0.161
Age (years), mean (range)	62 (33–83)	65 (42–81)	64 (44–78)	0.351
Clinical T stage
cT2	15 (17.2%)	3 (9.4%)	1 (5.3%)	0.362
cT3-4	72 (82.8%)	29 (90.6%)	18 (94.7%)	0.362
Clinical N stage
cN0	26 (29.9%)	7 (21.9%)	1 (5.3%)	0.072
cN1-2	61 (70.1%)	25 (78.1%)	18 (94.7%)	0.072
Clinical Stage Grouping
Stage I-II	24 (27.6%)	7 (21.9%)	1 (5.3%)	0.111
Stage III-IV ^†	63 (72.4%)	25 (78.1%)	18 (94.7%)	0.111
Pathologic T stage
ypT0, Tis, T1-2	49 (56.3%)	15 (46.9%)	6 (31.6%)	0.131
ypT3-4	38 (43.7%)	17 (53.1%)	13 (68.4%)	0.131
Pathologic N stage
ypN0	63 (72.4%)	28 (87.5%)	9 (47.4%)	0.008
ypN1-2	24 (27.6%)	4 (12.5%)	10 (52.6%)	0.008
Pathologic Stage Grouping
yp stage 0 ^*	19 (21.8%)	7 (21.9%)	1 (5.3%)	0.030
yp stage I-II	43 (49.5%)	21 (65.5%)	8 (42.1%)
yp stage III-IV ^§	25 (28.7%)	4 (12.5%)	10 (52.6%)
pCR	17 (19.5%)	7 (21.9%)	1 (5.3%)	0.281
Distance from anal verge (cm), mean (range)	6.0 (0.5–14.0)	6.5 (3.0–14.0)	6.7 (3.0–12.0)	0.388
Surgery type
APR	17 (19.5%)	4 (12.5%)	3 (15.8%)	0.655
LAR	70 (80.5%)	28 (87.5%)	16 (84.2%)	0.655

Abbreviations: pCR, pathologic complete response; APR, abdominoperineal resection; LAR, low anterior resection.
^† One patient was staged as clinical stage IV due to suspected lymph nodes at the root of inferior mesenteric artery. The patient was classified into group H-H.
^* Including 25 patients with ypT0N0 cM0 and another 2 patients with ypTisN0 cM0.
^§ Three patients were proved to be pathologic stage IV. Two of them were classified into group L, and the other into group H-H.

ISSN: 1748-717X