The chromatin pattern of cell nuclei is of prognostic value for renal cell carcinomas.
Using a series of 105 renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) we investigated whether features quantitatively describing the appearance of Feulgen-stained nuclei and, more particularly, of their chromatin (on the basis of computer-assisted microscopy) can contribute any significant prognostic information. Thirty morphonuclear and 8 nuclear DNA content-related variables were thus generated. The actual prognostic values of this set of cytometric variables was compared (by means of discriminant statistical analysis) to conventional diagnostic and/or prognostic markers including histopathological grades, tumour invasion levels and the presence or absence of metastases. We obtained complete clinical follow-ups for 49 of the 105 RCC patients under study, making it possible to define a subset of patients with a bad prognosis (i.e., who died in the 12 months following nephrectomy) and a subset of patients with a good prognosis (i.e., who survived at least 24 months following nephrectomy). An original method of data analysis related to artificial intelligence (decision tree induction) enabled a strong prognostic model to be set up. In the case of 10 new patients, this model identified all the dead patients as having a bad survival status, with a total of 8 correct predictions. Another prognostic model similarly generated enabled the correct predictions to be confirmed.
Laboratory of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
C
C
François
M
M
Remmelink
M
M
Petein
R
R
van Velthoven
A
A
Danguy
E
E
Wespes
I
I
Salmon
R
R
Kiss
C
C
Decaestecker
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry*; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019044:Image Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods
D002843:Chromatin; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm