NUCLEAR MORPHOMETRY FOR PREDICTING CERVICAL METASTATIC POTENTIAL IN LARYNGEAL SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA

Quantitative nuclear morphometry (QNM) provides a reliable, reproducib le method for measuring the degree of nuclear pleomorphism, a qualitat ive parameter widely incorporated into histopathological grading schem es. Nuclear shape has successfully been shown to predict primary prost ate adenocarcinoma metastatic potential. This investigation utilized Q NM to measure the nuclear pleomorphism of 50 patients with primary lar yngeal squamous cell carcinoma to determine whether this computer-assi sted method could discriminate between those patients with and without cervical metastases. Nuclear cross-sectional area and nuclear roundne ss as determined by QNM could not discriminate between patients with a nd without cervical metastases, though significant alterations in nucl ear morphology exist between normal laryngeal squamous epithelium and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.