Prognostic value of number of examined lymph nodes in patients with node-negative gastric cancer

Table 2 Comparison of clinicopathologic characteristics between patients with ≤ 15 and >15 examined lymph nodes n (%)

Variables	Number of examined nodes		χ2	P value
	≤ 15	> 15
Total	331 (66.6)	166 (33.4)
Gender			11.741	0.001
Male	259 (78.2)	106 (63.9)
Female	72 (21.8)	60 (36.1)
Age at surgery (yr)			5.355	0.023
≤ 60	155 (46.8)	96 (57.8)
> 60	176 (53.2)	70 (42.2)
Tumor size (cm)			0.845	0.392
≤ 4	163 (49.2)	89 (53.6)
> 4	168 (50.8)	77 (46.4)
Tumor location			8.672	0.034
Lower	158 (47.7)	98 (59.0)
Middle	31 (9.4)	16 (9.6)
Upper	111 (33.5)	35 (21.1)
Diffuse	31 (9.4)	17 (7.7)
Type of gastrectomy			4.455	0.041
Subtotal	284 (85.8)	130 (78.3)
Total	47 (14.2)	36 (21.7)
Histological type			9.694	0.002
Undifferentiated	177 (53.5)	113 (68.1)
Differentiated	154 (46.5)	53 (31.9)
Extent of lymphadenectomy			111.652	< 0.001
Limited	242 (73.6)	39 (23.6)
Extended	87 (26.4)	126 (76.4)
Extent of examined lymph nodes			84.522	< 0.001
Perigastric	189 (57.1)	23 (13.9)
Extragastric	142 (42.9)	143 (86.1)
Depth of invasion			1.445	0.695
T1	21 (6.3)	13 (7.8)
T2	59 (17.8)	35 (21.1)
T3	47 (14.2)	24 (14.5)
T4	204 (61.6)	94 (56.7)
TNM Classification 7th			1.738	0.784
Ia	21 (6.3)	13 (7.8)
Ib	59 (17.8)	35 (21.1)
IIa	47 (14.2)	24 (14.5)
IIb	196 (59.2)	89 (53.6)
IIIb	8 (2.4)	5 (3.0)