Nuclear morphometry and stereology in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The prognostic value of nuclear morphometry in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was investigated in 28 patients. Seven morphometric nuclear variables were measured on 100 randomly selected tumor cells in nasopharyngeal biopsies from 18 patients with NPC confined to the nasopharynx. The same variables were measured in 6 patients with metastatic NPC, as well as in lymph node biopsies from 4 patients with metastatic NPC. Nuclear area, nuclear perimeter, long and short nuclear axes, nuclear form factor, nucleolar area, and the ratio of nucleolar area to nuclear area were all measured. Volume-weighted mean nuclear volume was also obtained. Tumor cells from patients with NPC confined to the nasopharynx had significantly larger mean nuclear areas, perimeters, and volume-weighted mean nuclear volumes but significantly smaller nucleolar to nuclear area ratios than tumor cells from patients with nodal metastases. Assessment of nuclear form factor and diameters did not differentiate the two groups.