NUCLEAR MORPHOMETRY LACKS PROGNOSTIC VALUE IN SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMAOF THE ESOPHAGUS

In order to determine the possible influence in oesophageal squamous c ell carcinoma of nuclear measurements on patients' postoperative survi val and on various histological tumour features, we performed a nuclea r morphometry study on 53 patients (50 males, 3 females) with a mean a ge of 57.4 years (37-79). A statistical correlation was revealed betwe en area, perimeter and diameter and the analysis was, therefore, perfo rmed only in terms of nuclear area. No influence of nuclear area on po stoperative survival was observed. Nor was a relationship found betwee n mean nuclear area and either involvement of the oesophageal wall or degree of histological differentiation. The tumours showing expansive growth had a larger mean nuclear area than those of the infiltrative g rowth type, although differences did not reach statistical significanc e. The nuclear area standard deviation (reflecting anisocytosis of the tumour) showed no correlation with survival. In conclusion, our data do not support that measurement of nuclear parameters by static method s is of any prognostic value in surgically-treated squamous cell carci noma of the oesophagus.