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Nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio correlates strongly with survival in non‐disseminated neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung
Author(s) -
BATTLEHNER C.N.,
SALDIVA P.H.N.,
CARVALHO C.R.R.,
TAKAGAKI T.Y.,
MONTES G.S.,
YOUNES R.N.,
CAPELOZZI V.L.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2559.1993.tb00065.x
Subject(s) - carcinoma , pathology , stroma , lung , biopsy , survival analysis , biology , medicine , immunohistochemistry
In order to verify whether quantitative morphological indices of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung may help to predict survival, 47 biopsies (from 37 males and 10 females; 16–82 years of age) were studied by light microscopy. Areal fractions of nuclei, cytoplasm, stroma, and blood vessels were determined using a standard point counting method. The counts were made in six non‐coincident microscopic fields in each case, and the areal fractions of nuclei, of the entire tumour cell, stroma, blood vessels and the nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio were computed. In a multivariate linear regression analysis, survival in months after biopsy was considered the dependent variable of age and of all morphometric parameters listed above. The significance level was set at 5%. For all patients (disregarding staging) survival was negatively correlated (P< 0.001, multiple r=0.5435) with age and nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio. When only patients with disease confined to the thorax (stages I. II and III) were taken into account, the accuracy of the Function predicting survival increased considerably (P=0.004, multiple r=0.7957). The use of simple stereological methods therefore, proved to be of value in predicting survival in patients with neuroendocrine carcinomas of the lung.