QUANTITATIVE CYTOPATHOLOGY OF ENDOMETRIAL LESIONS

Morphometric and multivariate statistical methods were used to discrim inate endometrial carcinoma from benign cells in cytologic studies. Cl umps of epithelial cells that appeared most diagnostically relevant we re selected from aspirated samples of 70 endometrial cancer patients. The cells' cytologic character was reduced to a combination of five qu antitative parameters-nuclear size, degree of anisokaryosis, nuclear f orm index, homogeneity of nuclear chromatin texture, and regularity of nuclear arrangement. The 5-variate cluster analysis demonstrated that the 70 cases could be classified into three definite groups: Group A (17 cases) was characterized by cells of small nuclear size, slight an isokaryosis, homogeneous chromatin texture, and regular nuclear arrang ement; Group C (12 cases) by cells of large nuclear size, marked aniso karyosis, heterogeneous chromatin texture, and irregular nuclear arran gement; and Group B (41 cases) by cells of intermediate parameter valu es. Group C was derived from 10 cases of adenocarcinoma and 2 of atypi cal hyperplasia, while Groups A and B were not derived from any cases of malignancy. The computer-assisted morphometric statistical method c an objectively classify the endometrial cells into malignant and benig n, with improved validity and reproducibility. The cytopathologic find ing, if detected by this method, may serve as a surrogate endpoint bio marker. (C) 1995 Wiley Liss, Inc.