[Morphometrical study on prognosis of stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma]

The prognostic significance of morphometry in stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma had been examined in Papanicolaou-stained bronchial brushings, using an image analyzer. The data of long-term survivors (LTS), alive for more than 5 years, and short-term survivors (STS), who had died within 5 years, were compared. LTS were found to have a smaller nuclear area, a shorter nuclear perimeter, and a smaller nucleolar area than those of the STS. The nuclear size is considered important in any histological subtypes. The variation index of the nuclear area, the nuclear circularity, and the number of nucleoli did not differ between the two groups. These results would seem to be useful in determining the prognosis and the indication type of adjuvant therapy to be used in surgical operations.