Does perioperative prostaglandin E1 affect survival of patients with esophageal cancer?

Table 1 Baseline characteristics and perioperative variables

	PGE1 group (n = 15)	Control group (n = 15)	P value
Age (yr)1	54 ± 9	57 ± 8	0.48
Gender (male)2	6 (40)	9 (60)	0.27
Body mass index (kg/m2)1	31 ± 4	32 ± 3	0.77
ASA physical status (> I)2	9 (60)	10 (66.7)	0.71
Smoking2	2 (13.3)	4 (26.7)	0.65
Preoperative hemoglobin (g/dL)1	14.4 ± 2	14.7 ± 1.9	0.62
Duration of anesthesia (min)1	277 ± 50	270 ± 67	0.86
Duration of operation (min)1	234 ± 37	240 ± 66	0.75
Duration of thoracotomy (min)1	89 ± 35	96 ± 19	0.46
Blood loss (mL)1	520 ± 130	630 ± 330	0.34

¹mean ± SD, Student’s t-test;

²Frequency (percent), χ² test or Fisher’s exact test. PGE1: Prostaglandin E1; ASA: American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Table 2 Cancer variables

	PGE1 group(n = 15)	Control group (n = 15)	P value
Length of tumor (cm)1	11.9 ± 3	12.3 ± 3	0.83
Grade of histological differentiation2
Good	3 (20)	4 (26.7)	0.78
Intermediate	9 (60)	8 (53.3)
Poor	2 (13.3)	3 (20)
Undifferentiated	1 (6.7)	0 (0)
Disease stage2
IIA	8 (53.3)	10 (66.7)	0.72
IIB	2 (13.3)	1 (6.7)
III	5 (33.3 )	4 (26.7)
Number of lymph nodes in resected mass2
0	5 (33.3)	4 (26.7)	0.79
1-3	7 (46.7)	9 (60)
≥ 4	3 (20)	2 (13.3)
Pathological T12	2 (13.3)	2 (13.3)	0.75
Pathological T2	1 (6.7)	3 (20)
Pathological T3	12 (80)	10 (66.7)
Pathological N12	5 (33.3)	6 (40)	0.99

¹mean ± SD, Student’s t-test;

²Frequency (percent), χ² test or Fisher’s exact test. PGE1: Prostaglandin E1.

Table 3 Outcome and survival variables

	PGE1 group (n = 15)	Control group (n = 15)	P value
Number of readmissions to hospital1	2.1 ± 1	1.9 ± 1	0.61
Total duration of readmission (d)1	27 ± 12	29 ± 12	0.67
The survival rate (mo)1	10.1 ± 3.8	9.6 ± 3.4	0.71
The overall survival rate after 1 yr	8 (53.3)	7 (47)	0.72
The overall survival rate after 2 yr	3 (20)	3 (20)	0.99
The overall survival rate after 3 yr	0	1 (6.7)	0.99

¹mean ± SD, Student’s t-test; ²Frequency (percent), χ² test or Fisher’s exact test. PGE1: Prostaglandin E1.