DIFFERENTIATION OF LOW-GRADE NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMAS USING PARAFFIN SECTIONS BY IMAGE-PROCESSING

In a previous study, we were able to demonstrate that the differentiat ion of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) using digital image an alysis of touch imprints obtained from native tumor tissue is feasible . The availability of touch imprints in routine diagnostics, however, is restricted. Therefore, we extended our studies toward paraffin sect ions being used as routine material for histological diagnoses. To ide ntify five types of NHL classified according to the Revised European A merican Lymphoma classification, paraffin sections (n = 53) of NHL and 9 reactive lymphoid tissues (RLTs) were scanned with a color-video-ba sed microscope system and analyzed by digital image processing. A reli able division between benign and neoplastic lymphoproliferations was a chieved. We were able to identify 78% of RLTs as benign and 94% of NHL s as neoplastic. The average probability of correct identification int o the six subgroups was 66%. In detail, 78% of RLTs, 50% of chronic ly mphocytic lymphomas and MALT-type lymphomas, 72% of mantle cell lympho mas, and 67% of follicle center cell lymphoma were classified correctl y. Although the method of subclassifying or identifying NHLs on the ba sis of a computer-mediated assay is still not usable in daily practice , we show that a reliable differentiation between reactive and neoplas tic lymphoproliferative lesions can be achieved by analysis of paraffi n sections with high-resolution image analysis and that it is possible to define nuclear structures by identifying subtypes of NHL. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.