A screening system for cervical cancer cytology.

Abstract

A system for screening cervical cytological preparations is described which employs the Leitz Texture Analyzer System (E. Leitz, Rockleigh, N. J.) quantitative staining with acridine orange, and a fluorescence standard. The instrumentation scans cells on microscope slides and detects objects which it interprets to be nuclei with excess total nuclear green fluorescence intensity (Previous results employing manual measurements have indicated that normal nuclei do not produce total nuclear green fluorescence greater than a specific absolute intensity level). Detected objects are identified by visual observation. Cells (102,000) from 65 patients (29 normal, 36 abnormal) have been examined. In each abnormal sample, at least one abnormal cell was detected. In over half of the samples, three or fewer other objects (e.g. clumps of polymorphonuclear leukocytes) were detected. These are easily distinguishable from single nuclei, and could be discarded by someone with minimal cytological training.

The Drake Health Registry Study: Findings from fifteen years of continuous bladder cancer screening

“…New biomarkers, p300 (a tumor associated antigen detected by the M344 monoclonal antibody) and G-actin which are associated with premalignant changes in the bladder [Golden et al, 1979;Hemstreet et al, 1992;Bonner et al, 1993], were added to the biomarker profile in 1995. Cytoplasmic G-actin is an early differentiation marker, while p300 is intermediately expressed in the cascade of events of carcinogenesis [Hemstreet et al, 1992].…”

DNA cytometry and cytology by quantitative fluorescence image analysis in symptomatic bladder cancer patients

“…Finally, cells found in urine samples may not have exfoliated from the biopsied tumor and may have actually been shed from another site that was not found. Table I1 shows that cells with excess nucleic acid are found in some precancerous states (dysplasia and atypia), as also noted by others (Golden et al, 1979;Al and Ploem, 1979). Thus, hyperploidy is not pathognomonic for malignancy.…”

“…Yet, TCC can be very effectively treated if diagnosed early (Turner et al, 1977). While Papanicolaou (Pap) cytology with urinary cells is sensitive for high-grade malignancies when interpreted by an experienced pathologist, it is generally insensitive to lowgrade tumors (Hemstreet et al, 1983;Nelson, 1983), and by definition cannot detect grade-I tumors (Koss, 1979).Urinary cytology offers an ideal opportunity for the development of an automated or semi-automated cancer screening system because: (1) collection of cells from voided urine is a non-invasive procedure; (2) the cancer has a significant incidence; (3) treatment is effective if provided early; and (4) there is no test currently in general use that is highly sensitive for detecting low-grade urinary tumors.The value of DNA determinations in the diagnosis of malignancy has been well established (Caspersson et al, 1960;Bohm and Sandritter, 1975;Barlogie et al, 1980;Atkin et al, 1966;Auer and Zetterberg, 1984; A1 and Ploem, 1979;Hemstreet et al, 1983;Golden et al, 1979). In addition to its use as a diagnostic indicator, the degree of DNA aberration may also serve as a prognostic indicator of malignant behavior (Golden and West, 1974) and of sensitivity to chemotherapy (Auer et al, 1980).…”

Automatic cell identification and enrichment in lung cancer: V. Adenocarcinoma and large cell undifferentiated carcinoma

“…The dependence of enrichment data on green and red fluorescence intensity ranges is shown in Figure 4 4,7,8). Squamous cells (Fig.…”

“…Figures [5][6][7][8] show (a) the prevalence of leukocytes in all patient cases, (b) large purity and enrichment data variability among patients which precludes presenting these results by statistical means and moments about the means, (c) the highly distinct results from the sample associated with Patient 5 in terms of macrophage and cancer cell purities, and squamous cell enrichments, and (d) the pattern of Region 1 cancer cell enrichment which is consistent among all patients. Table 2 provides evidence that cancer cells are found in all greenired fluorescence intensity regions although they are primarily enriched in Region 1.…”