Pathohistological diagnosis of infiltration and metastasis of tongue carcinoma : Three-dimensional analysis of tumor cell atypia and alveolar architecture

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We initiated histology-based 3D reconstruction of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising on the lateral border of the tongue in order to collect quantitative information of diagnostic value regarding cancer invasion and prognosis. The basic procedures for 3D reconstruction are: preparation of serial histological sections in combination with immunostaining of cell/tissue constituents of interest, alignment and superposition of digitized images, and computer-assisted color segmentation of labeled targets. Cytoplasm/nucleus segmentation of individual SCC cells lead to quantitative analysis of histological parameters. The results support the wide potential usage and advantage of histology-based 3D reconstruction in cancer biology understanding and pathological diagnosis. Particularly, 3D histomorphometric parameters regarding tumor alveolar structure and spatial distribution of cancer foci in a microenvironment will be of inexpensive value in prediction and diagnosis of tumor aggressiveness and malignancy.