Nuclear morphometry as a prognostic factor in laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas. Preliminary study.

A preliminary report concerning the prognostic significance of certain nuclear morphometric parameters in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is presented. 18 cases of primarily glottic laryngeal SCC were graded according to the criteria outlined by Jakobsson et al., and assessed for the presence of infiltration of laryngeal cartilage. Nuclear width (short axis) and perimeter were found to be smaller in the "favourable prognosis" group than in the "unfavourable prognosis" one, on an indicative basis only, due to the small number of cases. The nuclear perimeter was furthermore found to be larger in cases with carcinomatous infiltration of the laryngeal cartilage than in cases without, on a statistically highly significant basis. The clinical utility of these results in a biopsy report of a laryngeal SCC is discussed.