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Atypical Mitotic Figures Are Prognostically Meaningful for Canine Cutaneous Mast Cell Tumors

Authors :
Christof A. Bertram
Alexander Bartel
Taryn A. Donovan
Matti Kiupel
Source :
Veterinary Sciences, Vol 11, Iss 1, p 5 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

Cell division through mitosis (microscopically visible as mitotic figures, MFs) is a highly regulated process. However, neoplastic cells may exhibit errors in chromosome segregation (microscopically visible as atypical mitotic figures, AMFs) resulting in aberrant chromosome structures. AMFs have been shown to be of prognostic relevance for some neoplasms in humans but not in animals. In this study, the prognostic relevance of AMFs was evaluated for canine cutaneous mast cell tumors (ccMCT). Histological examination was conducted by one pathologist in whole slide images of 96 cases of ccMCT with a known survival time. Tumor-related death occurred in 11/18 high-grade and 2/78 low-grade cases (2011 two-tier system). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.859 for the AMF count and 0.880 for the AMF to MF ratio with regard to tumor-related mortality. In comparison, the AUC for the mitotic count was 0.885. Based on our data, a prognostically meaningful threshold of ≥3 per 2.37 mm2 for the AMF count (sensitivity: 76.9%, specificity: 98.8%) and >7.5% for the AMF:MF ratio (sensitivity: 76.9%, specificity: 100%) is suggested. While the mitotic count of ≥ 6 resulted in six false positive cases, these could be eliminated when combined with the AMF to MF ratio. In conclusion, the results of this study suggests that AMF enumeration is a prognostically valuable test, particularly due to its high specificity with regard to tumor-related mortality. Additional validation and reproducibility studies are needed to further evaluate AMFs as a prognostic criterion for ccMCT and other tumor types.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
23067381
Volume :
11
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Veterinary Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.806adbe559164d3eb3a53b5faa08334f
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11010005