Nuclear morphometry lacks prognostic value in squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus

In order to determine the possible influence in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma of nuclear measurements on patients' postoperative survival and on various histological tumour features, we performed a nuclear morphometry study on 53 patients (50 males, 3 females) with a mean age of 57.4 years (37-79). A statistical correlation was revealed between area, perimeter and diameter and the analysis was, therefore, performed only in terms of nuclear area. No influence of nuclear area on postoperative survival was observed. Nor was a relationship found between mean nuclear area and either involvement of the oesophageal wall or degree of histological differentiation. The tumours showing expansive growth had a larger mean nuclear area than those of the infiltrative growth type, although differences did not reach statistical significance. The nuclear area standard deviation (reflecting anisocytosis of the tumour) showed no correlation with survival. In conclusion, our data do not support that measurement of nuclear parameters by static methods is of any prognostic value in surgically-treated squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus.