Mean nuclear volume in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To correlate three-dimensional nuclear size (mean nuclear volume) estimated by the stereologic intercept methodfor objective classification of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and carcinoma.


METHODS
In this retrospective study a total number of 29 CIN cases (8 cases of CIN 1, 10 cases of CIN 2 and 11 cases of CIN 3) and 10 cervical squamous cell carcinoma cases were selected. Mean nuclear volume (MNV) of all cases was measured with an image cytometer (Leica, Cambridge, England) using Quantimet 600 software (Leica). Nuclear point resection method was adopted to measure nuclear volume. Mean intercepted diameter of at least 50 nuclei was measured randomly. MNV was correlated with the histologic grade and diagnosis.


RESULTS
MNV of CIN 1, 2, 3 and carcinoma cases was 291.72, 403.33, 711.45 and 893 microm3, respectively. ANOVA test results showed that MNV of CIN 1 and 2 was significantly lower than that of CIN 3 and invasive carcinoma (P < .000). MNV of CIN 3 was also significantly lower than that of carcinoma cases (P <.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that estimates of MNV on conventional histopathology slides provide objective and useful criteria for relatively subjective histopathologic grading.
Dey
Pranab
P
Department of Cytology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. pranab@sancharnet.in
Powari
Manish
M
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019044:Image Cytometry; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*