Computerized nuclear morphometry: a new morphologic assessment for advanced gastric adenocarcinoma.

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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between the morphologic nuclear features and clinicopathologic parameters in patients with advanced gastric cancer. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Nuclear profiles have been reported as useful prognostic predictors in various cancers. Data from computerized morphometries are objective and quickly derived using conventional microscopic analysis. However, this image analysis of nuclear features has rarely been applied to investigations of gastric adenocarcinoma. Moreover, it remains to be shown what types of biologic factors influence the nuclear features. METHODS: Morphometric nuclear features (nuclear area, perimeter, and shape) were analyzed in 202 patients with serosal-invaded gastric cancer (stage II and III) who underwent curative gastrectomy. In each case, 300 cancer nuclei were analyzed on routine hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides through the use of a computer-assisted image analysis system by tracing the nuclear profiles (magnification x400) on a computer monitor. The morphometric data were compared with patient survival, clinicopathologic status, DNA ploidy pattern of tumors, expression of p53 protein, and proliferative activity of cancer cells. RESULTS: Lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, and venous invasion were more frequently detected in patients with large nuclear areas. Significant correlations were detected between the size of the nuclear area of cancer cells and the biologic factors of tumors, such as expression of p53, Ki-67 labeling index, and DNA ploidy pattern. The 5-year survival rate of the 100 patients in the large-nuclear group (nuclear area >45.3 microm2) was 47.6% and was significantly lower than the 74.4% rate of the 98 patients in the small-nuclear group (nuclear area < or =45.3 microm2). Moreover, the nuclear area was found to be an independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Gastric cancer cells with a large nuclear area express mutated p53 protein and have high proliferative activity. Moreover, such cancer cells have high potential for invasion to the microvessels in the gastric wall. Thus, nuclear morphometry is a new and useful morphologic predictor for metastatic potential in advanced gastric cancer.

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