Table 1 Clinical characteristics of the cohort according to patient groups including ICC-positive cell type status in bone marrow

Age, median [years]

69 (34–88)

63 (46–83)

69 (45–82)

Sex, male

92 (51.4%)

19 (57.6%)

21 (70.0%)

ICC-positivity: ≥ 1 ICC-positive cell / 2 × 10⁶ MNC

 (ICC-status numbers may differ due to varying number of inconclusive ICC-results per category)

 TC

6/168 (3.6%)

2/31 (6.5%)

4/29 (13.8%)

 UIC

10/174 (5.7%)

0/31 (0.0%)

2/30 (6.7%)

 HC

16/169 (9.5%)

2/30 (6.7%)

3/29 (10.3%)

 QHC

12/135 (8.8%)

3/28 (7.9%)

3/25 (12.0%).

Preoperative Risk Factors

 CA19–9 ≥ 200kU/l

51/127 (40.2%); 52 missing

17/28 (60.7%); 5 missing

0/20; 10 missing

 Tumour size> 25 mm

71 (39.7%)

20 (60.6%)

10 (33.3%)

 Bilirubin > 50 μmol/L

132/151 (87.4%); 28 missing

21/32 (65.6%); 1 missing

7/29 (24.1%); 1 missing

Treatment

 Neoadjuvant chemotherapy

GEMZ 6 (4.1%) FOLFIRINX 1 (0.7%)

GEMZ 1 (3.0%)

none

Operation

 PPPD

146 (82.6%)

BDB 24 (72.7%)

29 (96.7%)

 PD

25 (14.0%)

Exp.lap. 9 (27.3%)

1 (3.3%)

 Pancreatectomy

8 (4.5%)

none

 Venous resection

49 (27.4%)

n.a.

2 (6.7%)

 Adjuvant chemotherapy

FLV: 91 (50.8%)GEMZ: 7 (3.9%)FLOX: 1 (0.7%)none: 80 (44.7%)

Palliative chemotherapy31 (93.9%)

n.a.

Histopathologic results

 Pancreatic cancer

101 (56.4%)

30

 Malignant IPMN

9 (5.0%)

 Distal bile duct ca.

31 (17.3%)

1

 Ampullary cancer

21 (11.7%)

 Duodenal cancer

17 (9.4%)

2

 Pancreatobiliary type

146 (81.6%)

28 (84.8%)

IPMN 11 (36.7%)

 Intestinal type

26 (14.5%)

5 (15.2%)

ben.Tu. 5 (16.6%)

 Mucinous type

7 (3.9%)

AIP 6 (20.0%)

chr.Panc 4 (13.3%)inflam. 4 (13.4%)

UICC-stage (V7): I

16 (10.6%)

       II

150 (83.8%)

       III

13 (7.3%)

7 (21.2%)

       IV

26 (78.8%)

N1-status

120 (67.0%)

R1-status

87 (48.6%)

Vascular infiltration

108 (60.3%)

Perineural infiltration

141 (78.8%)