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Acta Stereologica - Volume 17 (1998) Number 2 - Sep. 1998
Rapid stereological method for assessing the area fraction (AA) of prostatic carcinoma
in TURP specimens
Abd Al-Mouti Zaitoun,
Department of Pathology, Mayday University Hospital, London Road,Thornton Heath, Surrey, CR7 7YE, UK
Abstract
Incidental carcinoma of the prostate (Stage A) is reported in 10% of TURP (Transurethral resection) specimens. The aims of this study
were first, to assess the accuracy of the area fraction (AA) of prostatic cancer defined as the percentage of chips against stereology (gold
standard technique) and second to evaluate a newly described rapid stereology technique based on drawing tube and image analysis
system. Fifty formalin fixed fully embedded TURP specimens from patients with prostatic carcinoma were used. Patients were divided
into three groups in relation to the AA of carcinoma. Group 1 (20) the AA was 0-5%, group 2 (18) the AA was 5.1-35% and group 3 (12) the
AA was 35.1-100%. H&E stained slides were used to assess the AA by three different techniques. Regression line analysis and the
Altman and Bland correlation were used for the comparison between the methods. The overall accuracy of AA (0-100%) of both routine
and new methods was good in comparison with stereology. In group 1 the percentage of chips method was less sensitive than stereology
(p=ns). The new method compared well with stereology (P<0.0001) technique in all three groups of patients. The Altman and Bland
correlation showed overestimation of the percentage of chips which was more marked at the level of upper value for group 3 with overlap
between groups 1 and 2. The new method showed minor underestimation for the lower values for group 1 and small overestimation for the
upper value in group 3. In general the new method compared well with stereology technique in patients with carcinoma of prostate. It is
concluded from this study that routine counting of chips with tumour was less sensitive than stereology for the accurate assessment of
AA. The new drawing tube method compared well with stereology, and it was fast and accurate for assessing AA of tumour in TURP
specimens in patients with incidental (stage A) and advanced (stage B) carcinoma. The Altman and Bland correlation was superior to the
coefficient of variation for assessing the differences and agreement between two methods.
Keywords : stereology, statistics, accuracy, limits of agreement, prostatic cancer
Pour citer cet article
Abd Al-Mouti Zaitoun, «Rapid stereological method for assessing the area fraction (AA) of prostatic carcinoma in TURP specimens», Acta
Stereologica [En ligne], Volume 17 (1998), Number 2 - Sep. 1998, 283-292 URL : http://popups.ulg.ac.be/0351-580X/index.php?id=2669.
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