Cryopreservation for delayed circulating tumor cell isolation is a valid strategy for prognostic association of circulating tumor cells in gastroesophageal cancer

Table 2 Univariate and multivariate analysis for overall survival for cohort 2 (n = 43)

	Univariate		Multivariate
Factor	HR (95%CI)	P value	HR (95%CI)	P value
CTC count (high vs low)	4.4 (1.7-11.7)	0.001	3.7 (1.2-12.4)	0.03
Age (≥ 65 vs <65 yr old)	0.7 (0.3-1.8)	0.46	1.0 (0.9-1.1)	0.76
ECOG (2-4 vs 0-1)	7.2 (2.2-23.7)	0.0002	2.3 (0.5-10.1)	0.14
Sex (male vs female)	1.2 (0.4-3.8)	0.7	0.7 (0.2-2.1)	0.49
Stage (IV vs II-III)	10.0 (3.3-30.8)	< 0.0001	9.9 (2.9-33.8)	0.0003
Primary tumor location (gastric vs oesophageal/GOJ)	0.3 (0.1-1.01)	0.05	0.4 (0.2-1.6)	0.22

Significant values are italicised. In both univariate and multivariate analysis, a high CTC count (> 17) remained statistically significant as an independent factor associated with poorer overall survival. CTC: Circulating tumor cell; ECOG: Eastern cooperative oncology group performance status; GOJ: Gastroesophageal junction.