[Value of image cytometry to oncologic diagnosis and prognosis]

For almost 100 years, malignant diseases diagnoses have been made by subjective evaluation of morphologic criteria in stained cellular preparations or tissue sections. This diagnosis remains the basis and the first step of any oncological work. Cell quantification by image analysis has only gained scientific but not yet routine application. However it is useful in screening, diagnosis and prognosis of malignant tumors.

DNA quantification allows the distinction between non specific abnormalities and atypias considered as pre-cancerous lesions in cervical neoplasia.

althought not often used, image cytometry may be useful for the diagnosis between benign and malignant lesions as we demonstrated it in mammary tumors, studied after Feulgen staining of imprints.

grading of malignancy can be done using image cytometry. Numerous parameters have been found useful for the prognosis evaluation of various tumors. For breast tumors, these are: nuclear or nucleolar area, DNA content, proliferating rate, hormone receptors positive cell percentage.... Quantification of oncogene amplification or chromosomal aberrations are under evaluation. Thus, computerised microscopy is now a necessary tool for the pathologist.