The contribution of image cytometry to the characterization of clinical subgroups of lipomas

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether biological features determined through image cytometry are able to characterize clinical subpo pulations of lipomas. Forty lipomas excised from 36 patients were studied. On the one hand, the tumors were clinically characterized by means of patie nt-related and pre- and postoperative features. On the other, the tumors we re analyzed by means of the computer-assisted microscopy analysis of Feulge n-stained nuclei. This analysis generated 3 groups of biological quantitati ve variables describing morphonucelar aspects (i.e. the chromatin pattern o f the cell nuclei), the nuclear DNA content (DNA ploidy level), and archite ctural features (such as the cell density and the topographical cell nuclei organization). Possible relations between the clinical and the biological features of the lipomas were investigated by means of univariate and multiv ariate statistical analyses. The results show the existence of such relatio ns, in particular between the morphonuclear and architectural features of l ipomas, on the one hand, and their consistency, volume and weight, on the o ther. Furthermore, multivariate analysis made it possible to distinguish tw o subpopulations of lipomas exhibiting different biological characteristics in terms of morphonuclear patterns.