Analytical Cellular Pathology - Volume 16, issue 2

Authors: Schulerud, Helene | Kristensen, Gunner B. | Liestøl, Knut | Vlatkovic, Liljana | Reith, Albrecht | Albregtsen, Fritz | Danielsen, Hàvard E.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: A large body of the published literature in nuclear image analysis do not evaluate their findings on an independent data set. Hence, if several features are evaluated on a limited data set over‐optimistic results are easily achieved. In order to find features that separate different outcome classes of interest, statistical evaluation of the nuclear features must be performed. Furthermore, to classify an unknown sample using image analysis, a classification rule must be designed and evaluated. Unfortunately, statistical evaluation methods used in the literature of nuclear image analysis are often inappropriate. The present article discusses some of the difficulties in statistical …evaluation of nuclear image analysis, and a study of cervical cancer is presented in order to illustrate the problems. In conclusion, some of the most severe errors in nuclear image analysis occur in analysis of a large feature set, including few patients, without confirming the results on an independent data set. To select features, Bonferroni correction for multiple test is recommended, together with a standard feature set selection method. Furthermore, we consider that the minimum requirement of performing statistical evaluation in nuclear image analysis is confirmation of the results on an independent data set. We suggest that a consensus of how to perform evaluation of diagnostic and prognostic features is necessary, in order to develop reliable tools for clinical use, based on nuclear image analysis. Show more

Keywords: Nuclear image analysis, statistical evaluation, precancerous cells, cancerous cells, testing features, sampling methods, classification methods

Citation: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 63-82, 1998

Authors: Corletto, Valentina | Verderio, Paolo | Giardini, Roberto | Cipriani, Sonia | Di Palma, Silvana | Rilke, Franco

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Histopathology has been suggested as a reliable method for tumour reduction evaluation of preoperatively treated breast cancer. Immunocytochemistry can be used to enhance the visibility of residual tumour cellularity and in the evaluation of its proliferative activity. We compared Image Analysis (IA) with Light Microscopy Analysis (LMA) on sections of breast carcinomas treated with preoperative chemo‐ or chemo/radiotherapy in the evaluation of the Neoplastic Cell Density (NCD) (69 cases) and the Proliferation Index (PI) (35 cases). NCD was expressed as the immunoreactive area to cytokeratin over the total original neoplastic area and PI was expressed as the number of immunostained …tumoural nuclei with MIB1 MoAb over the total of tumoural nuclei. The intraobserver agreement and that between IA and LMA for both indices were estimated by the common (\kappa_{{\rm w}} ) and the jackknife weighted kappa statistic (\,{\widetilde\kappa}_{{\rm w}} ). The extent of agreement of each considered category was also assessed by means of the category‐specific kappa statistics (\kappa_{{\rm cs}} ). The intraobserver agreement within LMA for NCD and PI and that between IA and LMA for PI were both satisfactory. Upon evaluation of the NCD, the agreement between IA and LMA showed unsatisfactory results, especially when the ratio between the residual tumour cells and the background was critical. Show more

Keywords: Breast carcinoma, concordance analysis, image analysis, preoperative therapy, quantitative immunocytochemistry

Citation: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 83-93, 1998

Authors: Enchev, Ventzeslav | Vukov, Mircho

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This paper presents the use of certain statistical methods (comparison of means – independent samples t ‐test, multiple linear regression analysis, multiple logistic regression analysis, analysis of clusters, etc.) included in the SPSS Statistical Package used to classify the patients quantitatively evaluated after a subtotal resection of their stomachs. The group consisted of 40 patients subdivided into two groups: primary neoplasia of the stomach (20 patients), and corresponding lymphogenic deposits in the abdominal perigastric lymph nodes (20 patients). Paraffin‐embedded tissue sections (thickness 4–5 \mu m) prepared as consecutive hematoxylin‐eosin‐stained slides were morphometrically measured by a rotation of a …graduated eyepiece‐micrometer; thus, we obtained the minor and major axes’ lengths of the elliptic nuclear profiles and the minor and major caliper diameters of the corresponding cellular profiles. These four variables were used to determine the dynamic changes in quantitative features of human gastric lesions when passing from normal histological structures, through hyperplastic processes (chronic gastritis), gastric precancer (ulcers and polyps with or without malignancy) till the development of primary carcinomas and their corresponding lymphogeneous metastases. Besides the increased cytomorphometrical measures, we also noted an opportunity to classify the patients according to these data as well as to add to the knowledge of our consultation system for clinical aid and use, recently published in the literature. Show more

Keywords: Human gastric specimens, cytomorphometry, statistics

Citation: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 95-100, 1998

Authors: , Ferrer‐Roca O. | Pérez‐Gómez, J.A. | Cigudosa, J.C. | Gómez, E. | Estévez, M.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The present series includes 75 thyroid lesions (38 goiters, 30 adenomas, 3 follicullo‐papillary encapsulated carcinomas and 4 normal thyroid) that were studied by static and flow cytometry. Four cases were also analyzed by in situ hybridization (centromeric probes for chromosomes 1 and 17) and 10 cases by G‐banding cytogenetics. Results demonstrate a polymorphysm and genetic instability in the thyroid tissue that may be related to the spontaneous polyploidization of their cells. The most consistent finding in cytometry was the presence of two clones associated with clinical or histological hyperactivity (46% versus 23% in non‐functioning cases; \chi^2 distribution …with a p<0.05 ). Chromosomal anomalies were detected in two out of 10 cases: 46, XX, t(5,19) in 87% of cells of a diffuse hyperplastic goiter and 49, XX, + 7, + 17, + 22 in 19% of cells of thyroiditis case. Finally, the in situ hybridization technique showed hidden trisomies of clonal origin in all of the cases studied. Evaluation of clonal trisomies by the in situ hybridization technique using the confidence interval of a binomial distribution is discussed. Show more

Keywords: Thyroid, benign tumours, karyotyping, in situ hybridization, trisomies, clonal detection, chromosome 1, chromosome 17, t(5,19)

Citation: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 101-110, 1998

Article Type: Other

Citation: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 111-123, 1998