Control of low-resolution scanning of ovarian tumor stromal compartment

english

2005

volume 24, issue 2

Ovarian Neoplasms    Image Processing, Computer-Assisted   Microscopy, Electron, Scanning   Stromal Cells

Društvo za stereologijo in kvantitativno analizo slike
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

The active search for markers of prognostic impact and therapeutic response isof crucial importance in oncology. The amount of stroma is a potential indicator with a significant impact on tumor growth. To solve the problems linked to tumor heterogeneity and, hence, of quantization at the microscopic level, we developed an image-analysis strategy dedicated to estimating the proportion of tumor connective tissue in whole histological sections at low resolution. 2,700-dot-per-inch numerical images were acquired with a calibrated slide scanner and automatically analyzed. We performed a quality control in order to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed method of analysisat the selected resolution. The point-counting method and the interactive drawing of stroma limits on equivalent mosaic microscopic images were "the gold standards." The proportions of stroma estimated on microscopic images (magnification with a 4x objective corresponding to 16,200 dots per inch) and on slide scanner images (2,700 dots per inch) through point countingstereology or manual delineation were equivalent (p < 0.0001). The results obtained through automatic image processing of scanner images were also close to the gold standard (95% correlation, p < 0.0001). The proposed method makes it possible to estimate the stroma amount of ovarian carcinomas in whole histological sections with a simple, fast, and low-cost acquisition device.

16.09.2009