title: Three-dimensional nuclear luminance analysis in well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lung.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Well-differentiated papillary adenocarcinoma of the lung (G1 cancer cells) is difficult to distinguish from benign bronchial columnar epithelial cells with reactive atypia (benign cells) in many cases because nuclear atypia is mild. We focused on the 3-dimensional presence of nuclei in cell smears. Several images focused on the nucleus were acquired, and the nuclear luminance was measured and analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred G1 cancer cells and benign cells (nuclei), respectively, were selected from those on a bronchial brushing preparation for cytology. Images of 41 layers were acquired at 0.25-μm intervals in each cell, and the nuclear luminance was measured (a total of 8,400 images).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were more focus positions in the G1 cancer cell nuclei, showing a 3-dimensional nucleus, compared to benign cells, and the 3-dimensional variation in the coefficient of variation (CV) of nuclear luminance at the focus position was smaller in G1 cancer than in benign cells, showing a significant difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The G1 cancer cells' nuclear structure was more 3-dimensional, and the chromatin distribution was homogeneous. The three-dimensional variation in the nuclear luminance CV could be numerically presented, which might be an objective index for cancer diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Hirosaki University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hirosaki, Japan. kwashiya@cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kiyotada
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Washiya
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanno
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tone
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kijima
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000231:Adenocarcinoma, Papillary / Q000473:pathology*; D001980:Bronchi / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis