655 Computer analysis of breast cancer cell populations in ER and PR positive and negative tumours

The ER and PR status are known to be one of the most significant prognostic factors for selectionof adjuvant hormone and/or chemotherapy. It is regarded as the indicator of the malignancy of the tumour cell population. Therefore the celi population characteristics in tumors with positive or negative ER and PR is of atmost importance, allowing morphological prediction of possible malignancy of the process and prognosis of the survival of the cancer patients. We have investigated routine stained cytological imprint slides from 34 breast cancer specimens obtained during operation. In the slide we analysed 100 cells, each of them according to 32 cell features and introduced into database along with the ER and PR receptor status in tumour tissue. The results of the cell population computer analysis have shown distinct differences in cell population structure between ER + and ER– tumours (percentage of cells with certain chromatin structure, presence of well defined nucleoli associated chromatin etc.) as well as between PR + and PR– tumours. There were also cell population differences among various ER ± PR ± status combinations in tumours.