CANINE NEUROENDOCRINE TUMORS OF THE PANCREAS - A STUDY USING IMAGE-ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES FOR THE DISCRIMINATION OF METASTATIC VERSUS NONMETASTATIC TUMORS

Canine pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors were studied using different i mage analysis techniques (nuclear image histometry, analysis of argyro philic proteins of nucleolar organizer regions, determination of the m ouse anti-Ki 67 antigen proliferation index, and DNA densitometry) to correlate their biological behavior with objective phenotypic markers. The methods were compared to determine the best method for distinguis hing between metastatic and nonmetastatic tumors. Discrimination betwe en the two types of tumor was possible using nuclear image histometry in combination with morphometric analysis of argyrophilic proteins of nucleolar organizer regions. In contrast, the mouse anti-Ki 67 antigen proliferation index, DNA measurement, and immunohistochemical paramet ers revealed no significant difference between the two types of tumors .