Automated cell nuclear segmentation in color images of hematoxylin and eosin-stained breast biopsy.
OBJECTIVE
To develop an automated, reproducible epithelial cell nuclear segmentation method to quantify cytologic features quickly and accurately from breast biopsy.


METHODS
The method, based on fuzzy c-mean clustering of the hue-band of color images and the watershed transform, was applied to 39 images from 3 histologic types (typical hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia, and ductal carcinoma in situ [cribriform and solid]).


RESULTS
The performance of the segmentation algorithm was evaluated by visually determining the percentage of badly segmented nuclei (approximately 25% for all types), the percentage of nuclei that remained in clumps (4.5-16.7%) and the percentage of missed nuclei (0.4-1.5%) for each image.


CONCLUSIONS
The segmentation algorithm was sensitive in that a small percentage of nuclei were missed. However, the percentage of badly segmented nuclei was on the order of 25%, and the percentage of nuclei that remained in clumps was on the order of 10% of the total number of nuclei in the duct. Even so, > 600 nuclei per duct, on average, were segmented correctly; that was a sufficient number by which to calculate accurate quantitative, cytologic, morphometric measurements of epithelial cell nuclei in stained tissue sections of breast biopsy.
Latson
Larry
L
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Sebek
Bruce
B
Powell
Kimerly A
KA
D000465:Algorithms; D001331:Automation; D001706:Biopsy; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000473:pathology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D003116:Color; D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS); D005260:Female; D006416:Hematoxylin; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000473:pathology; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods
D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS); D006416:Hematoxylin