Affiliations: Institute of Pathology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany | Cancer Imaging Department, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver BC, Canada | Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany
Note: [] Corresponding author: Dr. Thomas Dreyer, Institut für Pathologie, Justus Liebig Universität, Langhansstrasse 10, D‐35392 Giessen, Germany. Tel.: +49 641 99 41114; Fax: +49 641 99 41109; E‐mail: thomas.dreyer@patho.med.uni‐giessen.de.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to confirm the existence of specific nuclear texture feature alterations of histologically normal epithelial borders nearby invasive laryngeal cancer (NC). Paraffin sections of NC and of chronic inflammations unrelated to cancer (CI) were analysed for nuclear texture and for integrated optical density (IOD‐index) and were compared to normal epithelium of patients without evidence of cancer (NE). Several discriminant functions based on nuclear texture features were trained to separate different subgroups.As the most important result, specific nuclear texture feature shifts were only found in NC with high‐density lymphocytic stroma infiltrate (NC+). Classification of nuclei of NE versus NC+ was correct in 70%. The same classifier was correct in only 58% when nuclei of NE were classified versus CI. We also found lower values of IOD‐Index within the NC+ group when compared to NE (p<0.001).
