Table 1 Characteristics of patients with normal and metastatic LNs
Characteristics | Training Cohort | Â | Validation Cohort | Â | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  | Patients with normal LNs (n = 157) | Patients with metastatic LNs (n = 155) | p | Patients with normal LNs (n = 39) | Patients with metastatic LNs (n = 39) | p |
Age | 63.89 ± 12.38 | 61.76 ± 12.45 | 0.133 | 62.56 ± 14.17 | 62.13 ± 13.25 | 0.890 |
Gender | Â | Â | 0.076 | Â | Â | 0.120 |
 Male | 52.87% | 56.13% |  | 51.28% | 38.46% |  |
 Female | 47.13 | 43.87% |  | 48.72% | 61.54% |  |
Tumor location | Â | Â | 0.060 | Â | Â | Â |
 Left | 45.22% | 50.32% |  | 46.15% | 46.15% |  |
 Right | 54.78% | 49.68% |  | 53.85% | 53.85% |  |
Histological status | Â | Â | 0.069 | Â | Â | 0.148 |
 Well | 67.52% | 63.23% |  | 71.80% | 64.10% |  |
 Poor | 32.48% | 36.77% |  | 19.10% | 35.90% |  |
Perineural invasion |  |  | < 0.01 |  |  | < 0.01 |
 Negative | 73.89% | 49.03% |  | 76.92% | 43.59% |  |
 Positive | 26.11% | 50.07% |  | 23.08% | 56.41% |  |
Vessel invasion |  |  | < 0.01 |  |  | < 0.01 |
 Negative | 94.27% | 42.58% |  | 92.31% | 48.72% |  |
 Positive | 5.73% | 57.52% |  | 7.69% | 51.28% |  |
T stage |  |  | < 0.01 |  |  | < 0.01 |
 T1 | 1.27% | 0.65% |  | 0% | 0% |  |
 T2 | 11.47% | 1.94% |  | 10.26% | 0% |  |
 T3 | 76.43% | 70.31% |  | 79.48% | 61.54% |  |
 T4 | 10.83% | 27.10% |  | 10.26% | 38.46% |  |