VALUE OF NUCLEAR MORPHOMETRY FOR DIFFERENTIATING LOCALIZED FROM METASTATIC RENAL-CELL CARCINOMA

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of using nuclear morphometry of primary renal cell carcinoma to differentiate cases with localized tu mors from those with metastases, Methods: Using an interactive image a nalysis system, nuclear morphometry was performed on hematoxylin-and e osin-stained slides of 40 primary renal tumors, There were 18 cases wi th organ-confined disease and 22 with advanced stage, Results: The mos t significant shape descriptor to differentiate between the two groups was mean nuclear regularity factor(889.5 +/- 24.4 vs, 701.1 +/- 157.3 , p = 0.00015), The combination of mean nuclear area and mean nuclear regularity factor enabled accurate prediction of metastatic potential in 36 (85%) cases, Conclusion: Nuclear morphometry measured by image a nalysis provides prognostic information on patients with renal cell ca rcinoma.