Abstract
The applicability of nuclear morphometry in differential diagnosis and prognisis of adenocarcinoma of the lung was examined using image analysers (Olympus VIP-21CH and Kontron MOP-03) on tissue sections. First, mean nuclear area (MNA) was measured in 12 cases of well differentiated adenocarcinoma, 8 cases of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) and 5 cases of adenomatous hyperplasia (AH). In adenocarcinoma cases, NINA was significantly larger than that of AAH and AH and the standard deviation (SD) of nuclear area was greater in adenocarcinoma than that in AAH and AH. MNA and SD of nuclear area in AH were the smallest in these three groups. Many cases of AAH were morphometrically distinguishable from adenocarcinoma cases, and there were two cases in which adenocarcinoma and AAH coexisted. Secondly, the mean nuclear diameter and MNA were measured in 85 cases of adenocarcinoma less than 3 cm in diameter, and the correlation between these morphometrical factors and 5-year survival rate was examined. The survival rate in adenocarcinoma cases with small-sized nuclei was apparently higher than that of larger ones, even in 40 cases of Stage Ia (T1N0M0) adenocarcinomas. Therefore, these factors are considered to be important for prediction of prognosis.
