C. Giardina et al., NUCLEAR SHAPE AND AXILLARY METASTASES IN BREAST-CANCER ANALYTIC MORPHOMETRY OF ASPIRATION SMEARS, Acta cytologica, 38(3), 1994, pp. 341-346
The aim of this work was to seek quantitative parameters other than di
mensions to describe nuclear shape and, by this means, to determine th
e sum of contour irregularities and large asymmetries and seek a conne
ction with the biologic behavior of the tumor. Nuclei of the cells obt
ained from 57 aspiration smears of breast cancers were studied. Dimens
ional parameters (area, perimeter, maximum diameter and roundness fact
or) and analytic parameters were computed by the Shape Analytical Morp
hometry software system to evaluate both contour irregularities and as
ymmetry of nuclear shape. All the tumors were subdivided according to
their diameters into two groups: T1 tumors, the maximum diameter of wh
ich was <2 cm (18 eases), and T2 tumors, the maximum diameter of which
was >2 cm and <5 cm (39 cases). Among T1 tumors, both dimensional and
analytic parameters were highly significant (P<.001) in distinguishin
g tumors with (N+) and tumors without (N-) axillary metastases, while
among larger tumors (T2) only the analytic parameters showed degrees o
f significance, albeit variable. It could be inferred that in smaller
tumors, aggressiveness is related to an increase in nuclear dimensions
and shape distortions more so than in larger tumors.