Cytomorphological Study of the Normal and Abnormal Cells in Cervical Squamous-cell

Abstract

Using MOP Digiplan AMO3, the uterine-cervical cells (including superficial, intermediate, parabasal and basal cells) appearing in normal subjects and patients with dysplasia, carcinoma in situ (abbreviated as c. i. s., hereinafter), micro invasive cancer and invasive cancer were measured for the area of cells and nuclei (μ2), length (μ), diameter (μ) and form iridex. On the basis of the measured values for the area, the N/C ratio was accurately determined. The results are as follows.a) Uterine-cervical normal cells1) Values for the area, length and diameter of cells increased as differentiation progressed from basal cells to parabasal, intermediate and superficial cells. However, measurement of the area, length and diameter of the nucleus revealed little or no significant difference among intermediate, parabasal and basal cells, except for the nucleil of superficial cells showing remarkably low values.2) With respect to the form index, values of 0.74, 0.86, 0.90 and 0.94 were obtained for the superficial, intermediate, parabasal and basal cells, respectively. This indicates a.decreasing tendency as differentiation progresses. From these results it can be well understood that these cells show polymorphism. The values for nuclear indices were 0.98, 0.97, 0.96 and 0.97, respectively, with no significant difference in the morphology of their nuclei.3) The N/C ratios were 0.4 for superficial cells, 1.8 for intermediate cells, 16.7 for parabasal cells and 40.3 for basal cells. The N/C ratio of superficial cells was much smaller than that described in the text.b) Dysplasis, c. i. s., micro invasive cancer and invasive cancer1) Except in the case of dysplasia, measurement of the area, length and diameter of the cells and nuclei revealed greater values as the lesion progressed from c. i. s: to micro invasive cancer and invasive cancer. These results are not consistent with those described by Reagan et al.2) The cellular form indices obtained for dysplasia, c. i. s., micro invasive cancer and invasive cancer were 0.87, 0.95, 0.95 and 0.83, respectively.Thus, the value obtained for c. i. s. was the closest to I (namaly, circular in form), while that obtained for invasive cancer was the lowest, indicating cellular polymorphism. The values for micro invasive cancer were intermediate between those obtained for the c. i. S. and invasive cancer.3) The nuclear form indices were.0.92, 0.98, 0.95 and 0.93 for dysplasia, c. i. s., micro invasive cancer, and invasive cancer, respectively, showing a pattern similar to that observed for the cellular form index. It was found that progression of the lesion was accompanied by an increase in nuclear polymorphism.4) The N/C ratios were 28.24, 61.22, 56.78 and 45.32% for dysplasia, c. i. s., micro invasive cancer, and invasive cancer, respectively. The highest value was obtained for the c. i. s. These results indicate that the values became smaller as the lesion progressed from micro invasive cancer to invasive cancer.The lowered N/C ratio obtained in the case of dysplasia appeared to be due to the presence of more superficial and intermediate cells as well an dyskaryotic cells.