Plasma methylation markers for early colorectal cancer detection

Table 4 Relationship between the methylation panel and pathological characteristics of patients with colorectal neoplasms (advanced adenoma and colorectal cancer), n (%)

Variables	Panel positive (n = 98)	Panel negative (n = 24)	P value
Gender			0.8148
Male	61 (79.22)	16 (20.78)
Female	37 (82.22)	8 (17.78)
Age (years)			0.0285
< 50	10 (66.67)	5 (33.33)
50-60	23 (69.70)	10 (30.30)
> 60	65 (87.84)	9 (12.16)
Location			0.0721
Colon	39 (81.25)	9 (18.75)
Rectosigmoid transition	35 (89.74)	4 (10.26)
Rectum	24 (68.57)	11 (31.42)
Stage			0.0173
I	12 (63.16)	7 (36.84)
II	31 (81.58)	7 (18.42)
III-IV	53 (91.38)	5 (8.62)
Unknown	2 (100.00)	0 (0.00)
T stage			0.0028
T1-T2	13 (56.52)	10 (43.48)
T3	64 (88.89)	8 (11.11)
T4	17 (85.00)	3 (15.00)
Unknown	2 (100.00)	0 (0.00)
N stage			0.0382
N0	43 (74.14)	15 (25.86)
N1	35 (85.37)	6 (14.63)
N2	16 (100.00)	0 (0.00)
Unknown	2 (100.00)	0 (0.00)
M stage			0.0122
M0	73 (77.66)	21 (22.34)
M1	21 (100.00)	0 (0.00)
Unknown	2 (100.00)	0 (0.00)
Vascular invasion			0.2880
Absent	45 (77.59)	13 (22.41)
Present	44 (86.27)	7 (13.73)
Unknown	9 (69.23)	4 (30.77)
Nerve invasion			0.2136
Absent	27 (77.14)	8 (22.86)
Present	64 (84.21)	12 (15.79)
Unknown	7 (63.64)	4 (36.36)
Size			< 0.0001
< 5 cm	43 (66.15)	22 (33.85)
5 cm	47 (95.92)	2 (4.08)
Unknown	8 (100.00)	0 (0.00)

Advanced adenomas do not have a TNM stage; therefore, the TNM staging analyses (T, N, and M stages) were based on the 117 colorectal cancer cases only.