NUCLEAR IMAGE-ANALYSIS OF P53-POSITIVE AND P53-NEGATIVE CELLS IN BREAST-CARCINOMA

OBJECTIVE: To detect differences in nuclear morphology in breast carci noma cells with different p53 expression. STUDY DESIGN: Immunohistoche mical reactions were performed on paraffin sections from 88 breast can cers with the monoclonal antibody DO-1. By means of an image cytometry workstation, 500 nuclei were localized and categorized in an immunohi stochemical staining scoring system in each case. After destaining and Feulgen staining, the nuclei were relocated and measured by means of the workstation. RESULTS: P53-positive nuclei showed greater irregular ity of the chromatin pattern and stronger granularity of the chromatin . There were also differences in the chromatin texture and nuclear sha pe between tumors different in their p53 expression. The p53-negative nuclear population from the p53-positive tumors and the whole nuclear population of the p53-negative tumors were morphologically different, also. CONCLUSION: Nuclear image analysis of immunohistochemically char acterized cells allows further insight into the relationship of struct ure and function in malignant tumor cells.