Table 3 Association between the percentage of surface receptors and cytotoxic granules positive NK cells and the clinicopathological features of pancreatic cancer

Distant metastasis

Absent

20

82.6 ± 9.5

ns ^T

44.2 ± 19.3

ns ^T

53.8 ± 23.4

ns ^T

80.5 ± 16.8

ns ^U

20.6 ± 12.1

ns ^U

Present

11

85.5 ± 6.4

50.7 ± 22.1

60.9 ± 20.2

78.7 ± 15.0

18.4 ± 10.3

Non-metastatic Pancreatic cancer

NO. of patients

NKG2D

NKp30

NKp46

Perforin

KIR3DL1

%

P

%

P

%

P

%

P

%

P

Histological grade

Well/Moderately

9

85.4 ± 8.9

ns ^T

46.2 ± 27.1

ns ^T

71.4 ± 17.4

< 0.01 ^U

85.3 ± 8.5

ns ^U

23.2 ± 13.6

ns ^U

Poorly

11

79.6 ± 9.1

40.6 ± 12.4

39.5 ± 17.1

76.5 ± 21.0

18.6 ± 10.8

Depth of invasion ^*

Tis/T1/T2

11

84.3 ± 7.6

ns ^T

41.2 ± 18.2

ns ^T

54.4 ± 22.6

ns ^T

75.2 ± 19.1

ns ^U

18.7 ± 10.4

ns ^T

T3

9

79.7 ± 10.9

46.0 ± 22.9

53.2 ± 25.6

86.9 ± 11.6

23.0 ± 14.1

Lymph node metastasis

Absent

6

89.9 ± 5.6

< 0.05 ^T

58.1 ± 19.0

< 0.05 ^T

60.9 ± 22.6

ns ^T

80.9 ± 21.7

ns ^U

27.0 ± 15.5

ns ^T

Present

14

78.9 ± 8.6

37.8 ± 17.7

50.8 ± 23.8

80.3 ± 15.3

17.9 ± 9.7

Blood vessel invasion

Absent

13

86.7 ± 6.7

< 0.01 ^T

40.3 ± 22.7

ns ^U

54.7 ± 24.9

ns ^U

86.2 ± 12.9

< 0.05 ^U

21.9 ± 14.4

ns ^U

Present

7

73.9 ± 7.6

48.4 ± 13.7

52.2 ± 22.1

69.9 ± 19.1

18.3 ± 6.1

Nerve invasion

Absent

6

86.9 ± 5.7

ns ^T

36.2 ± 22.6

ns ^U

60.5 ± 27.6

ns ^U

78.1 ± 16.1

ns ^U

15.9 ± 5.6

ns ^T

Present

14

80.2 ± 9.9

45.9 ± 19.0

51.0 ± 21.8

81.5 ± 17.6

22.7 ± 13.6