Morphometrical Nuclear Investigation In Basaloid Cell Cutaneous Neoplasm

Abstract

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most frequent neoplasm in populations of Caucasian genetic background. In spite of infrequent metastasis, the destructive and invasive behavior of BCC cannot be underestimated. Other benign tumors such as trichoblastoma (TB) and trichoepithelioma (TE) present with similar morphology. To differentiate these basaloid cell cutaneous neoplasms (BCCN), we performed a morphometric study of 30 BCC - 10 of each subtype, sclerodermiform (Scl), nodular (Nod), and superficial (Sup) - 10 TB, and 10 TE. From each lesion, 10 images of center and 10 of peripheral tumor nests were digitalized and analyzed in the KS300 system. Mean value and standard deviation of each nuclear parameter - area (NA), perimeter (NP), minimum diameter (MIND), maximum diameter (MAXD), elliptic factor (EF), regularity factor (RF) - were calculated and submitted to the Mann-Whitney U test. Analysis of mean values showed significant differences between the central and peripheral regions when NP, MAXD, and EF were tested for each neoplasm, except for Scl BCC. Probably, peripheral nuclei of this tumor are not as elliptical as the nuclei of the others subtypes of BCCN. Standard deviations of each parameter were analyzed, once those values would serve as indicative of nuclear polymorphism. Only MAXD of Nod BCC showed significant differences, that is the MAXD of peripheral nuclei is more polymorphic than the central ones for this type of tumor. Comparative morphometrical nuclear investigation between the central and peripheral region in BCCN allows distinguishing scl BCC from other BCCN. Absence of differences between the central and peripheral regions in scl BCC could be related to the aggressive biological behavior of this BCCN. Support: UFF/HUAP