Computer-assisted breast cancer grading

Morphological tumour differentiation has been shown in numerous studies to give a good prognosis in breast cancer, but as histological grading is based upon a subjective assessment of microscopical appearances, difficulties in consistency and reproducibility are inevitable. A review of the many conventional methods served to highlight a common limitation in their approach; lack of structure. We introduce a new approach which seeks to overcome the problem, by formalizing the methods and identifying aspects which are well suited to computer aided analysis, these being incorporated into a microcomputer system facilitating the collection and appraisal of morphometric data. Within the Information Technology Institute (ITRI) at Brighton Polytechnic a research team is carrying out multidisciplinary work into the elucidation of biological systems. This programme, entitled 'Intelligent Medical Systems', used methods of mathematical signal processing and artificial intelligence, applied to a number of areas, one of which is described in this paper. The aim has been to utilize the inherent skill exercised by the histopathologist in interpreting microscopical images, whilst making quantitization more accurate and reproducible. the system has been developed within a highly structured framework and will have applications in teaching and routine histological analysis. The value of artificial intelligence techniques in the wider issues of this area is discussed.