Nuclear morphometry in prognosis of renal adenocarcinoma

Nuclear morphometry was carried out on 95 parenchymatous adenocarcinomas of the kidney treated by radical nephrectomy and hilar lymphadenectomy and followed up for at least five years. The study assessed nuclear area, nuclear perimeter, major diameter, nucleolar area, nuclear shape factor, and nuclear size. There was a significant statistical correlation between survival and the morphometric parameters and between the parameters themselves except for nuclear shape factor. The multiple regression proved that nuclear area is the factor which shows the greatest statistical significance for prognosis. Taking a mean nuclear area of 35 microns 2 allowed two prognostic groups to be established regardless of stage, with those below the threshold having a good prognosis and those above it having a poor prognosis: 96.7 percent of patients with a good prognosis survived after five years (60 months) compared with 17.2 percent of those with a poor prognosis.