Crosstalk between cancer cells and tumor associated macrophages is required for mesenchymal circulating tumor cell-mediated colorectal cancer metastasis

Table 1 Correlation between the density of macrophages at invasive front and clinicopathologic parameters (n = 81)

Parameters	n (%)	CD68 expression			CD163 expression
Parameters	n (%)	Low	High	P	Low	High	P
Gender				0.855			0.893
Male	48 (59.3)	25	23		24	24
Female	33 (40.7)	16	17		17	16
Age, years				0.908			0.575
<60	39 (48.1)	20	19		21	18
≥60	42 (51.9)	21	21		20	22
Tumor site				0.908			0.742
Colon	42(51.9)	21	21		22	20
Rectal	39 (48.1)	20	19		19	20
Tumor size, cm				0.271
<5	54 (66.7)	25	29		28	26	0.753
≥5	27 (33.3)	16	11		13	14
Tumor grade				0.715			0.018
Poor	32 (39.5)	17	15		11	21
Moderate/Well	49(60.5)	24	25		30	19
LVI				0.734			0.005
Absence	45(55.6)	23	22		29	16
Presence	36(44.4)	18	18		12	24
PNI				0.582			0.320
Absence	43(53.1)	23	20		24	19
Presence	38(46.9)	18	20		17	21
TI				0.228			0.014
T1–2	12(14.8)	8	4		10	2
T3–4	69(85.2)	33	36		31	38
LNM				0.016			< 0.001
N0–1	53(65.4)	32	21		36	17
N2–3	28(34.6)	9	19		5	23
TNM stage^a				0.096			0.011
I/II	42(51.9)	25	17		27	15
III	39(48.1)	16	23		14	25
CA19–9, U/mL				0.296			0.576
<37	57(70.4)	31	26		30	27
≥37	24(29.6)	10	14		11	13
CEA, ng/ml				0.689			0.939
<5	55(67.9)	27	28		28	27
≥5	26(32.1)	14	12		13	13
Overall	81(100.0)	41	40		41	40

Notes: ^aThe 8th edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual; Boldface indicates P < 0.05
Abbreviations: LVI lymphovascular invasion, PNI perineural invasion, TI tumor invasion, LNM lymph node metastasis, TNM tumor-node-metastasis, CA19–9 carbohydrate antigen 19–9, CEA carcinoembryonic antigen, CD68 cluster of differentiation 68, CD163 cluster of differentiation 163

ISSN: 1476-4598