| Clinico-pathological features | Total number of cases (n = 75) | Number positive cases for STAT3 (%) (n = 20) | P* value | Number positive cases for pSTAT3 (%) (n = 10) | P* value |
| Patients’ age (years) |
|
|
|
|
|
| <60 | 23 | 5 (21.7) | 0.375 (NS) | 3 (13.0) | 0.814 (NS) |
| >60 | 52 | 15 (28.8) |
| 7 (13.5) |
|
| Gender |
|
|
|
|
|
| Female | 35 | 11 (31.4) | 0.507 (NS) | 4 (11.4) | 0.576 (NS) |
| Male | 40 | 9 (22.5) |
| 6 (15.0) |
|
| Ethnicity |
|
|
|
|
|
| Malay | 25 | 6 (24.0) | 0.941 (NS) | 4 (9.3) | 0.818 (NS) |
| Chinese | 43 | 12 (27.9) |
| 5 (20.0) |
|
| Indian | 7 | 2 (28.6) |
| 1 (14.3) |
|
| Histological grade |
|
|
|
|
|
| Grade I | 26 | 1 (3.8) | 0.004 (S) | 1 (3.8) | 0.086 (NS) |
| Grade II | 20 | 6 (30.0) |
| 2 (10.0) |
|
| Grade III | 29 | 13 (44.8) |
| 7 (24.1) |
|
| Dukes’ stage |
|
|
|
|
|
| A | 5 | 0 (0) | 0.435 (NS) | 0 (0) | 0.064 (NS) |
| B | 24 | 7 (29.2) |
| 2 (8.3) |
|
| C | 32 | 9 (28.1) |
| 8 (25.0) |
|
| D | 14 | 4 (28.6) |
| 0 (0) |
|
| Lymph node status (N) |
|
|
|
|
|
| N+ | 46 | 13 (28.3) | 0.550 (NS) | 8 (17.4) | 0.158 (NS) |
| N− | 29 | 7 (24.1) |
| 2 (6.9) |
|