Journal article
Computer-generated nuclear features compared with axillary lymph node status and tumor size as indicators of breast cancer survival
Human pathology, Vol.33(11), pp.1086-1091
11/01/2002
DOI: 10.1053/hupa.2002.129198
PMID: 12454812
Abstract
The extent to which malignant cells deviate from normal is generally accepted to be a prognostic indicator. However, assessing the degree of deviation has been subjective and poorly reproducible. Our goal is to develop a computer program for objectively measuring nuclear size, shape, and texture from histologic slides and to make the program available on the Internet. We used this program to analyze 353 histologic sections obtained from patients with invasive breast cancer who were diagnosed and treated from 1981 through 1995 and who had determinable outcomes. The median follow-up was 8.3 years. We compared the relationship of survival with our computer-derived nuclear features versus axillary lymph node status and tumor size. We believe that our results are generally applicable because our patient survival, when stratified by lymph node status, was similar to that of the 24,000 breast cancer patients in the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. In multivariate analysis, the strongest prognostic factor was the largest nuclear area, followed by tumor size and the extent of axillary lymph node involvement. The mean area of the 3 largest nuclei when combined with tumor size identified 30% of all breast cancer patients who had an 87% 15-year breast cancer-specific survival. Inclusion of lymph node status added little to this 2-factor model. Routine axillary lymph node surgery for prognostic purposes may become unnecessary, because nuclear features may provide sufficient information.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Computer-generated nuclear features compared with axillary lymph node status and tumor size as indicators of breast cancer survival
- Creators
- William H Wolberg - University of Wisconsin–MadisonW Nick Street - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Human pathology, Vol.33(11), pp.1086-1091
- DOI
- 10.1053/hupa.2002.129198
- PMID
- 12454812
- ISSN
- 0046-8177
- eISSN
- 1532-8392
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/01/2002
- Academic Unit
- Bus Admin College; Nursing; Computer Science; Business Analytics
- Record Identifier
- 9984380557202771
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