Nuclear shape analysis for the assessment of local invasion and metastases in clinically localized prostate carcinoma

Background. Nuclear shape analysis of histologic sections from radical prostatectomy specimens has retrospectively predicted outcome in patients with clinically localized prostate carcinoma. If outcome could be predicted preoperatively by nuclear shape analysis, patients might be selected better for definitive surgical therapy. Morphometric analysis of preoperative biopsies, however, has not correlated positively with values obtained from analysis of prostatectomy specimens. Methods. The nuclear shapes of histologic specimens of 20 organ-confined carcinomas, 10 periprostatic fat-invasive carcinomas, 10 seminal vesicle-invasive carcinomas, and 12 lymph node-metastatic carcinomas from 52 patients who had undergone radical prostatectomy for clinically localized disease were evaluated