Splus software v8

Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, median and range, frequency and percentage were used to summarize patient characteristics. The Kaplan-Meier method was applied to estimate survival outcomes (Figure 1), i.e., OS and PFS, and the log rank test was used for comparison of these outcomes between subgroups of patients. The OS time was calculated as the time period from the date of the treatment start to the date of death or to the date of the last follow-up for patients alive, and patients alive were censored for the analysis of OS. The PFS time was calculated as the time period from the date of start of treatment to the date of progression or death, whichever occurred first; and patients alive and without progression were censored to the date of the last follow-up. SAS software v9.4 (SAS institute Inc., Cary, NC, United States) and Splus software v8.2 (TIBCO Software Inc., Palo Alto, CA, Unites States).