FRACTAL DIMENSION OF THE BONE-MARROW IN METASTATIC LESIONS

We previously reported that the distribution of the cells in normal ho ne marrow is fractal and self-similar. The purpose of this study was t o determine whether the same is true in metastatic tumors. Thirty-two bone marrow biopsy sections (3 to 5 mu m thick) of 28 patients were us ed to measure the fractal dimensions of the metastatic tumor cells' di stribution. Microscopic images were obtained and were used for the fra ctal measurements. In the two-dimensional images, the fractal dimensio ns were 1.98 +/- 0.02 (95% +/- 5% cellularity), suggesting a compact n onfractal structure. The dimensions, however, were 1.72 +/- 0.1 (56% /- 11% cellularity) for the normal components, xith a P-value of <.000 1 that is in agreement with our previous study. These results suggest that loss of the fractal structure in the metastatic lesions may be at tributable to loss or suppression of the regulatory mechanisms maintai ning the fractal morphogenesis of the bone marrow. This report provide s a novel objective approach in the study of pathophysiology of the bo ne marrow disorders. Copyright (C) 1998 by W.B. Saunders Company.