CHROMATIN TEXTURE FEATURES IN HEMATOXYLIN AND EOSIN STAINED PROSTATE TISSUE

A pilot study was undertaken to determine the expression of certain nu clear features in prostatic lesions. Twenty cases, 5 of hyperplasia an d 5 each of carcinoma, Mostofi grades I-III, were selected as a traini ng set, and an additional 20 cases were used as a test set, including 5 cases of hyperplasia and 5 cases each in Mostofi grades I-III. Image s of hematoxylin and eosin-stained, 4-mum paraffin sections were obtai ned with a JVC BY-110 three-color camera and digitized by an IBM perso nal computer with a Matrox MVP-AT/NP imaging board. Thirty nuclei for each case from the training set, for a total of 600 nuclei, and 10 nuc lei for each case from the test set, for a total of 200 nuclei, were a nalyzed by quantitative cytometric software on a SUN 3160 workstation. A linear discriminant model was used for statistical analysis. One hu ndred percent of the hyperplasia group, 98% of the low grade group, 92 % of the medium grade group and 82% of the high grade group were class ified correctly in the test set with an overall success rate of 93%. S tatistically significant chromatin texture features included heterogen eity, condensation, margination, run length nonuniformity, long run em phasis, gray level nonuniformity and inertia. Area, roundness and stai ning intensity (total extinction) were also significant. The results w ith standard hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue sections were simila r to those previously obtained with Feulgen-stained material. These re sults indicate that routine hematoxylin and eosin-stained material off ers consistent diagnostic clues.