Computerized microscopic analysis of prostatic fine needle aspirates. Comparison with breast aspirates.

: Computerized image analysis was employed to analyze fine needle aspiration smears of the prostate and breast using both high-resolution images of individual cells and medium-resolution images of scenes and clusters (contextual analysis). A linear discriminant analysis was used to demonstrate the computer's ability to discriminate between benign and malignant categories for both types of tissue. Correct classification as benign or malignant using contextual analysis was achieved in 22 of 26 prostatic aspirates and in 15 of 18 breast aspirates, as determined by comparison with histology. The addition of high-resolution single-cell analysis resulted in correct classification of 24 of 26 prostatic aspirates and all breast aspirates. For virtually all features, the distinction between benign and malignant was more subtle for prostatic than for breast tissue. The data indicate that contextual analysis may be less effective as an adjunct to high-resolution single-cell microscopy of prostatic specimens than it is for breast specimens.