Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · South Asian J Cancer 2021; 10(02): 64-68
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1731583
Original Article: Breast Cancer

Correlation of Nuclear Morphometry with Clinicopathologic Parameters in Malignant Breast Aspirates

Shivani Kalhan
1   Department of Pathology, Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nalhar, Haryana, India
,
Shilpa Garg
1   Department of Pathology, Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nalhar, Haryana, India
,
Rahul Satarkar
1   Department of Pathology, Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nalhar, Haryana, India
,
Puja Sharma
1   Department of Pathology, Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nalhar, Haryana, India
,
Sonia Hasija
1   Department of Pathology, Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nalhar, Haryana, India
,
Sonia Sharma
2   Department of Pathology, Army Hospital (Research & Referral), New Delhi, India
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
   Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Objectives The primary objective of this study was to correlate nuclear morphometric parameters with clinicopathologic features such as cytologic grade, tumor size, lymph node status, mitotic index, and histopathologic grade. Secondary objective was to quantify nuclear changes on malignant breast aspirates using morphometry.

Material and Methods Forty-five cases of carcinoma breast diagnosed on cytology were included in this study. These were graded into cytologic grades 1, 2, and 3 as per Robinson’s cytologic grading system.

Nuclear morphometry was done in all cases on smears stained with Papanicolaou stain.

Clinicopathologic parameters including cytological grade, tumor size, lymph node status, mitotic count, and histological grade were correlated with nuclear morphometric parameters, namely, area, perimeter, shape, long axis, short axis, intensity, long-run emphasis, total run length, and T1 homogeneity.

Results There were 9 cases in cytologic grade 1, 26 in grade 2, and 10 cases in cytologic grade 3. Histopathology showed 42 cases of infiltrating duct carcinoma, not otherwise specified (IDC, NOS) and 3 cases (6.7%) of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). IDC (NOS) included 6, 27, and 9 cases in grades 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Majority of our cases had a tumor size less than 5 cm (n = 38, 84.4%) and had positive nodes (n = 30, 66.7%). Correlation of cytologic and histopathologic grades (including DCIS) with all morphometric features except long-run emphasis was statistically significant. Correlation of morphometry with tumor size yielded significant results for nuclear area, perimeter, long and short axes, and intensity with p < 0.05. Study of lymph node status (positive/negative) versus morphometry showed a highly significant statistical association with all the geometric as well as textural parameters. Mitotic count was significantly associated with all the geometric parameters and one textural parameter (total run length).

Statistics Continuous variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation and compared using the two-tailed, independent sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance test. Tests were performed at significance level of 0.05.

Conclusion Morphometry is an objective technique which holds immense promise in prognostication in breast carcinoma.

Keywords

breast - carcinoma - morphometry - cytology


Publication History

Article published online:
04 September 2021

© 2021. MedIntel Services Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd
A-12, Second Floor, Sector -2, NOIDA -201301, India

 

  • References

  • 1 Pienta KJ, Coffey DS. Correlation of nuclear morphometry with progression of breast cancer. Cancer 1991; 68 (09) 2012-2016
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Robinson IA, McKee G, Nicholson A. et al. Prognostic value of cytological grading of fine-needle aspirates from breast carcinomas. Lancet 1994; 343 (8903) 947-949
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Abdalla F, Boder J, Buhmeida A, Hashmi H, Elzagheid A, Collan Y. Nuclear morphometry in FNABs of breast disease in Libyans. Anticancer Res 2008; 28 (6B) 3985-3989
    Google Scholar
  • 4 Aggarwal G, Singh S, Marwah S, Duhan A, Mathur SK, Marwah N. et al. Morphometric analysis in breast lesions a rapid conjunct to intraoperative imprint smears. Middle East J Cancer 2012; 3 (01) 1-8
    Google Scholar
  • 5 Khan N, Afroz N, Rana F, Khan M. Role of cytologic grading in prognostication of invasive breast carcinoma. J Cytol 2009; 26 (02) 65-68
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Prvulović I, Kardum-Skelin I, Sustercić D, Jakić-Razumović J, Manojlović S. Morphometry of tumor cells in different grades and types of breast cancer. Coll Antropol 2010; 34 (01) 99-103
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Tahlan A, Nijhawan R, Joshi K. Grading of ductal breast carcinoma by cytomorphology and image morphometry with histologic correlation. Anal Quant Cytol Histol 2000; 22 (03) 193-198
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Baak JPA, Van Dop H, Kurver PHJ, Hermans J. The value of morphometry to classic prognosticators in breast cancer. Cancer 1985; 56 (02) 374-382
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Ikpatt OF, Kuopio T, Collan Y. Nuclear morphometry in African breast cancer. Image Anal Stereol 2011; 21 (02) 145
    CrossrefGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Chiusa L, Margaria E, Pich A. Nuclear morphometry in male breast carcinoma: association with cell proliferative activity, oncogene expression, DNA content and prognosis. Int J Cancer 2000; 89 (06) 494-499
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Tan PH, Goh BB, Chiang G, Bay BH. Correlation of nuclear morphometry with pathologic parameters in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast. Mod Pathol 2001; 14 (10) 937-941
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar