Nuclear image morphometry and cytologic grade of breast carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To correlate visual cytologic grade with automated nuclear morphometry of carcinoma of the breast.


METHODS
We randomly selected 24 histologically proven infiltrating ductal carcinomas of the breast and 10 benign breast lesions (fibroadenoma). Hematoxylin-eosin-stained fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) smears were selected for both cytologic grade and automated image morphometry. The same hematoxylin-eosin-stained FNAC smears were studied for area, convex area, standard deviation of nuclear area, diameter, perimeter and convex perimeters of nucleus. At least 100 cells from each case were measured with an image cytometer.


RESULTS
Mean nuclear area, standard deviation of nuclear area, nuclear diameter, convex area, convex perimeter and perimeter were significantly increased from benign versus grade 1 carcinomas and grade 1 versus grade 2 and 3 carcinomas (one way ANOVA test). However, there was no significant difference in grade 2 versus grade 3 carcinomas.


CONCLUSIONS
Automated image cytometry rapidly and successfully measures various nuclear parameters. The measurement of various nuclear parameters would be helpful in future applications of automated diagnosis and grading of breast carcinomas from cytologic material.
Dey
P
P
Departments of Cytology, Radiotherapy and Pathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. pranab@ch1.dot.net.in
Ghoshal
S
S
Pattari
S K
SK
D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D018226:Fibroadenoma / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D019044:Image Cytometry / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011897:Random Allocation