Prognostic value of morphometry in papillary thyroid carcinoma

The value of morphometric analysis in addition to standard prognostic indicators was studied in 28 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma. The mean follow up was 47 months. Recurrences occurred in six patients at a mean time of 34 months, five with distal metastases and one with local disease. Univariate analysis most closely associated recurrence with nuclear anisotropism (the standard deviation of the estimated nuclear area (NASD)) and tumor size. With forward stepwise incremental analysis, the value of tumor size was lost and only the ENASD and the cellularity mean index (CMI), defined as the percentage of tumor volume composed of tumor cells significantly correlated with recurrence. 55% of patients with a ENASD>17 mu m/sup 2/ and a CMI>40% developed recurrence as compared to 5% of patients with lesser values (p=0.0001). Morphometric analysis may significantly contribute to the role of histopathology in the evaluation of papillary thyroid carcinoma and provide information regarding prognosis not obtained by standard methods.<>