a statistical trendP = 0.051
In particular, a high density of tryptase(+) MCs was shown in 48.7% ( n = 56/115) of tumours, exhibiting a statistical association with male patients ( P = 0.004) and higher TNM stage ( P = 0.025); a statistical trend was observed between the high density of tryptase(+) MCs and tumours with a poor differentiation grade ( P = 0.051).