Salmon I, Gasperin P, Pasteels J L, Heimann R, Kiss R
Department of Pathology, Hospital Erasme, Free University of Belgium, Brussels.
Am J Clin Pathol. 1992 Jun;97(6):776-86. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/97.6.776.
A digital cell image processor was used to compute 15 parameters on Feulgen-stained thyroid nuclei from 238 archival, i.e., formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded thyroid lesions. The morphonuclear parameters were related to morphometric (nuclear area), densitometric (nuclear DNA content), and textural (chromatin pattern characteristics) features. With respect to development of a malignant condition, their variations were compared with the World Health Organization's International Histological Classification of thyroid tumors. The relationship between morphonuclear parameter assessments and tumor size and the presence or absence of metastasis at the time of diagnosis was also investigated: no relationship with respect to cytomorphonuclear assessments was found. Nuclear area and nuclear DNA content discriminated between simple multinodular goiters and multinodular goiters with adenomatous hyperplasia. In the same way, the mean parameter values describing the chromatin pattern of multinodular goiters were significantly distinct from those describing the chromatin pattern of adenomas and carcinomas. Furthermore, chromatin pattern descriptions made it possible to discriminate between cell nuclei from papillary carcinomas and follicular carcinomas, and further between follicular carcinomas and follicular adenomas. A marked variation was observed within individual cases of multinodular goiters, adenomas, and carcinomas, a feature suggesting that morphonuclear assessment is of limited value for the diagnosis of individual clinical cases. In contrast, these results show that morphometric, densitometric, and textural nuclear assessments are useful aids for thyroid tumor typing, adding interesting results with respect to thyroid tumor progression. Indeed, the primary findings demonstrate that nodules with adenomatous hyperplasia from multinodular goiter lesions and microvesicular adenomas more closely resemble follicular carcinomas than do simple multinodular goiters and normomacrovesicular adenomas. Such data might reflect a biologic progression from benign to malignant follicular thyroid lesions.
使用数字细胞图像处理器对238例存档的福尔马林固定、石蜡包埋的甲状腺病变组织进行Feulgen染色，计算甲状腺细胞核的15个参数。这些形态核参数与形态测量（核面积）、密度测量（核DNA含量）和纹理（染色质模式特征）特征相关。关于恶性疾病的发展，将它们的变化与世界卫生组织的甲状腺肿瘤国际组织学分类进行了比较。还研究了形态核参数评估与肿瘤大小以及诊断时有无转移之间的关系：未发现与细胞形态核评估有关。核面积和核DNA含量可区分单纯性结节性甲状腺肿和伴有腺瘤样增生的结节性甲状腺肿。同样，描述结节性甲状腺肿染色质模式的平均参数值与描述腺瘤和癌染色质模式的参数值明显不同。此外，染色质模式描述能够区分乳头状癌和滤泡状癌的细胞核，进一步区分滤泡状癌和滤泡状腺瘤。在结节性甲状腺肿、腺瘤和癌的个别病例中观察到明显差异，这一特征表明形态核评估对个别临床病例的诊断价值有限。相比之下，这些结果表明，形态测量、密度测量和纹理核评估对甲状腺肿瘤分型有用，为甲状腺肿瘤进展提供了有趣的结果。事实上，主要发现表明，结节性甲状腺肿病变伴有腺瘤样增生的结节和微泡性腺瘤比单纯性结节性甲状腺肿和正常大泡性腺瘤更类似于滤泡状癌。这些数据可能反映了甲状腺滤泡性病变从良性到恶性的生物学进展。
