Quantitative nuclear cell image analyses of thyroid tumors from archival material

• Published in: Human pathology Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 191 - 196
• Main Authors: Collin, Francoise, Salmon, Isabelle, Rahier, Isabelle, Pasteels, Jean-Lambert, Heimann, Rodolphe, Kiss, Robert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.02.1991; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - ultrastructure; Adenoma - ultrastructure; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoma - ultrastructure; Carcinoma, Papillary - ultrastructure; Cell Nucleus - ultrastructure; digital cell image analysis; DNA - metabolism; Goiter - pathology; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Medical sciences; morphonuclear parameters; Multivariate Analysis; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Thyroid Neoplasms - metabolism; Thyroid Neoplasms - ultrastructure; thyroid tumors; digital cell image analysis; thyroid tumors; morphonuclear parameters; multivariate analysis; Endocrinopathy; Human; Pathology; Goiter; Thyroid diseases; Benign neoplasm; Malignant tumor; Differential diagnostic; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0046-8177; 1532-8392
• DOI: 10.1016/0046-8177(91)90042-N

Sixty-three sections of Feulgen-stained thyroid cell nuclei from paraffin-embedded material, including five multinodular goiters, 10 adenomas, 36 papillary carcinomas, seven follicular carcinomas, and five medullary carcinomas were analyzed by means of the SAMBA 200 (TITN, Grenoble, France) cell image processor. This was done in order to obtain nuclear characteristics of papillary versus follicular carcinomas. The nuclear features were assessed by morphometric, densitometric, and textural parameters. Our preliminary results indicate that the cell nuclei from typical histopathologic specimens of follicular thyroid cancers belong to a larger thyroid cell nuclei population corresponding to the histopathologic family of papillary thyroid cancers. This follicular neoplastic cell nuclei population appears to be quite distinct from the typical medullary neoplastic cell nuclei population which also belongs to the papillary neoplastic cell nuclei population. It appears that there is a specific papillary cell nuclei subpopulation containing typical hypochromatic cell nuclei. We also observed a dramatic increase in nuclear size and hyperchromatism between normal (multinodular goiters) and neoplastic (carcinomas) thyroid tissues, with the benign tissues (adenomas) showing intermediate nuclear characteristics.