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. 2011 Mar;45(1):40-5.
doi: 10.2478/v10019-011-0002-y. Epub 2011 Feb 23.

Image cytometric nuclear texture features in inoperable head and neck cancer: a pilot study

Margareta Strojan-Flezar  1 , Jaka Lavrencak, Mario Zganec, Primoz Strojan
Affiliations

Image cytometric nuclear texture features in inoperable head and neck cancer: a pilot study

Margareta Strojan-Flezar et al. Radiol Oncol. 2011 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Image cytometry can measure numerous nuclear features which could be considered a surrogate end-point marker of molecular genetic changes in a nucleus. The aim of the study was to analyze image cytometric nuclear features in paired samples of primary tumor and neck metastasis in patients with inoperable carcinoma of the head and neck. MATERIALS AND METHODS.: Image cytometric analysis of cell suspensions prepared from primary tumor tissue and fine needle aspiration biopsy cell samples of neck metastases from 21 patients treated with concomitant radiochemotherapy was performed. Nuclear features were correlated with clinical characteristics and response to therapy.

Results: Manifestation of distant metastases and new primaries was associated (p<0.05) with several chromatin characteristics from primary tumor cells, whereas the origin of index cancer and disease response in the neck was related to those in the cells from metastases. Many nuclear features of primary tumors and metastases correlated with the TNM stage.

Conclusions: A specific pattern of correlation between well-established prognostic indicators and nuclear features of samples from primary tumors and those from neck metastases was observed. Image cytometric nuclear features represent a promising candidate marker for recognition of biologically different tumor subgroups.

Keywords: head and neck cancer; image cytometry; nuclear features; prognosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Example of box plot of different values of one nuclear texture feature (avg_run_length) for primary tumor site as analyzed in FNAB samples from neck metastases.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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