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In specimens obtained from resected pancreata, the intratumoral microvessel density (IMD), the proliferation rate of the neoplastic parenchymal cells, and their p53 protein expression were assessed. The sources of errors were great in the measurements of the IMD. This statement can be illustrated by the finding that when the IMD was calculated by manual counting in five areas of intense neovascularization (hot spot regions), using x200 and x400 magnifications, the numbers of microvessels per square millimeter were 65+/-23 and 106+/-8, respectively, which reflects a significant difference. Two patterns of microvessel distribution could be identified: one with hot spots only in the stroma (n = 19) and one in which the hot spots were located in areas of neoplastic parenchyma (including its stroma) (n = 26). The IMD was significantly greater in the latter group. There was no general correlation of neoplastic disease with the IMD. However, when a scoring system was used to assess the angiogenesis, hot spots in areas of neoplastic parenchyma were associated with a greater proliferation rate of the tumor cells, and with a short length of survival of the patients from their neoplastic disease.

The nuclear DNA content was assessed by image cytometry on cytologic specimens obtained with fine-needle aspiration biopsy in 96 patients with pancreatic duct carcinoma. Twenty-two of these patients had pancreaticoduodenal resection. According to DNA analysis there were 27 (28%) diploid, 17 (18%) tetraploid, and 52 (54%) aneuploid tumors. The corresponding patient median survival times were 8, 5, and 4 months, respectively. Resectable tumors were more often DNA diploid (10 of 22) than nonresectable tumors (17 of 74) (p < 0.05). A Cox multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that surgical resection (p < 0.001) and diploid DNA pattern (p < 0.05) were factors associated with longer patient survival time. Although the difference in survival time was small, the data indicate that DNA diploid tumors represent a less aggressive subset of pancreatic carcinoma.

Linder S, Weger A-R. Lindholm J, Jui H, Blasjo M, Sundelin P, von Rosen A. Morphometric characteristics in adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and chronic pancreatitis. Scand J Gastroenterol 1994;29:764-768.Background: Morphometric analysis whereby size and form of cellular nuclei are transformed into quantities has previously been shown to be a valuable adjunct to the histopathologic differential diagnosis between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma. The present study aims to assess the clinical value of morphometry performed on cytologic material from benign and malignant pancreatic lesions. Methods: Cytologic specimens from 100 patients with the diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma and 15 patients with chronic pancreatitis were evaluated by interactive morphometry using a digital image analyzer system. Results: There were significant differences (p < 0.001) for all morphometric variables between the malignant and benign groups (mean area p 50,135.41 μm2 versus 69.66 um2; anisokaryosis, 0.74 versus 0....