Parameter Early patch n = 101 Plaque n = 47 Early vs. plaque Nodular n = 87 Nodular vs. plaque t p t p Nb stained nuclei/HPF 41.6 (63.4) [18.0]* 162.0 (221.4) [72.5] 5.0 <0.0001 232.5 (228.1) [170.0] 1.7 0.087 % stained nuclei/HPF 21 (22.2) [10.0] 37.9 (30.2) [40.0] 5.0 <0.0001 49.0 (29.6) [50.0] 2.1 0.042 Staining intensity 1.8 (0.8) [2.0] 2.2 (0.8) [2.0] 2.8 0.005 2.4 (0.8) [3.0] 1.4 0.17 Total score 3.6 (1.5) [3.0] 4.5 (1.9) [5.5] 3.1 0.002 5.1 (1.8) [5.0] 1.8 0.07 *Values are mean (SD) [Median]

Table 1: Mean scores of individual parameters according to histopathological stage.