Tumor volume estimation by the percentage carcinoma method in uterine cervix carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the capacity of the percentage carcinoma method to predict tumor volume in cervical carcinoma and generate a mathematical equation for calculation of tumor volume.


METHODS
Thirteen radical hysterectomy specimens were studied. The actual tumor volume was assessed by stereology. A factor was generated by the formula tumor volume = factor x percentage carcinoma x number of blocks. The percentage carcinoma was calculated by the grid method. Then tumor volume was estimated by the same formula. The relationship between actual and estimated tumor volumes was analyzed by Spearman's correlation.


RESULTS
Correlation of the tumor volumes assessed by the two methods was excellent (r = .945) and statistically significant (P = .01).


CONCLUSIONS
Percentage carcinoma assessed by the grid ratio method is highly predictive of tumor volume, but care must be taken not to overstate the importance of our results due to the small number of patients. The prediction of outcome in cervical carcinoma by means of percentage carcinoma should be evaluated in large clinical studies.
Yörükoğlu
K
K
Department of Pathology, Dokuz Eylül University, School of Medicine, and SSK Ege Maternity Hospital, Izmir, Turkey. kutsal.yorukoglu@deu.edu.tr
Sayhan
S
S
Dicle
N
N
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010340:Pathology, Surgical; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*